Ties That Bind Across The Stars
by Mystic Blade
Summary: The sequel to 'Partner of A Bad Blood'. As a new group sets out to make their mark in the clan, new alliances are made, and new problems arise one after another until all erupts and the yautja become known universally among the stars.
1. Return To The Backwater Planet

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially not Predator or Aliens. If I did, I'd buy a life size Predator model to keep me happy. Now that I've stated I own nothing, let's carry on with the story!

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CHAPTER 1:

**Return To The Backwater Planet**

Throughout the cold and vast emptiness of space, a large and sleek ship named the _Ade'k'ra _flew by over the planets and other astronomical objects occupying the area. The large dark gray ship held a pointed round front while its middle remained in a round shape and ended with a square shape to support a rear thruster. Each side of the ship held a horizontal wing that raised up vertically halfway to support two square-like thrusters on each wing, which in turn left strings of lilac particles dangling in the quiet solitude of space. Green jade lights adorned the entire ship from the top to its bottom levels, which gave the ship a layered look on the bottom seeing as the docking bay contained a separate enclosed area onboard the ship. Within the middle portion of the ship inside, the Hunters levels contained a stream of males going to and from their quarters to others areas around the ship. Each level was divided into the seniority ranking of Young Blood, Blooded, Warrior, and etcetera. On the Young Blood level, a 6'6 tall sepia colored male wearing only a loincloth stood in front of a large mirror staring at his reflection as he flexed his muscled arms.

"Who's the best hunter on board?" he grinned smugly as he stretched, the rippling muscles bulging over his body. Pointing to the reflection, he gloated, "You are, you handsome bastard! That's why the females come to you!"

"Keep doing that and you'll break the mirror with your reflection" a light green toned male with forest green stripes, barked at him in reprimand and shoved him away from it. He'd grown irritated of the egocentric praises for the last minutes and his patience had run thin. "And put some clothes on for Paya's sake, you're in my home!"

"Thank you" a sapphire toned male commented dryly as he cut a piece off a pink round fruit with his knife at a nearby table. His ruby-eyed gaze glared at the jovial male, "I hope you don't do this in public. It will land you somewhere where you can do that permanently."

"We have ranks like that here?" the sepia male asked, clueless to the joke.

"No, you fool" he responded bluntly and snorted. "You'll land yourself in a bar somewhere in the outskirts of space where you can please females by dangling nude off a pole for their amusement."

"You can show them your graceful hunter skills as you slide down a pole and perform a flip naked" his other friend laughed while the puzzled male finally understood the joke. "You'll finally put your talents to use and shame the family."

"You two can kiss my ass!" he yelled, flaring his mandibles in a hiss to his friends, and stomped off to change in a room nearby. "At least I have the body!"

"You better not leave any messes in there!" his green friend yelled back and relaxed against a window overlooking the black void of space. "He'll ruin my room but if I touch his, I have to clean anything I do."

"He's Aru'Dre, what do you expect?" his blue companion pointed out simply and kept eating. Lazily, he added, "I'm surprised you don't put a sign saying 'No Aru'Dre's allowed'".

"He'll probably go whine to my mother" Kahet snickered and glanced out the window, his green eyes shining like jewels compared to the void outside. "I wish Bakuub would hurry and prepare the ship for takeoff. We better not run behind schedule."

"Maybe you should've gone to help" Sau'Nak suggested and finished his fruit. Throwing the remainders into a waste can next to the table, he pointed out, "You are the second in command of the group after all, Kahet."

"Leitjin's helping, he'll be fine" he said, waving it off. His friend gave him a blank stare either way which Kahet recognized as the patronizing 'whatever you say' look. He groaned quickly, "Don't look at me like that! If you want to help, go ahead, Sau'Nak."

The two males stayed quiet while they heard fumbling from within the rooms beyond the hallway. Kahet glared in that direction despite no one stood there to receive it. The thirty-year old male was always happy for company when he was on board the ship and not on a hunt, but sometimes. . .

"I swear I'm throwing him into a lake in our next hunt" he grumbled as he closed his deep set emerald colored eyes and rubbed his temples. "Unless it's acidic, of course."

His sepia toned cousin drove everyone insane on board the ship with his pranks but he was still fawned over by the young females. At times, Kahet thought about changing his casual approach to them and basically grope them like his cousin did. As a Young Blood, not many females looked at him due to his status yet but the young and naïve ones usually did. Being an Arbitrator's son and an Elder's great-great-grandson didn't help either. He wasn't attracted to the mindless breeders only eager to please a male, he wanted a challenge but females like that usually went to the stronger Blooded warriors.

_But most reasons are because of me being a hybrid_, he thought darkly. _That and they probably think I'm sterile because of it._

"Earth rarely holds acidic lakes from my personal research. . .unless it's become heavily polluted by now" Sau'Nak said, scrunching his mandibles inward in repulsion. "If so, we picked a bad hunting ground."

Sau'Nak had become an stoic Young Blood over the years and usually kept the peace between his arguing comrades on board or out during hunts. Despite he didn't hunt as much as his cousins, he traveled with them to gain the experience he needed to survive while studying to become an Arbitrator. Aru'Dre still nagged him about said profession and was usually ignored. Now, they were preparing to head towards Earth for a hunt which had excited Aru'Dre. And an excited Aru'Dre meant unhappy members on board their small hunting ship.

"I don't care about the planet, it's the prey we must look over" Kahet informed as he stood up to stretch and yawn. He knew his upcoming hunt was a milestone among his family but he didn't see it as such a big deal. His father had been warning him about it due to his experiences but it was just another hunt to him. Sure, the humans were part of his heritage but he didn't owe them anything. "Oomans are greedy, selfish beings who only worry over themselves so we must kill our prey in isolated areas unless we seek retaliation from their government."

"You make them sound like fiends" Sau'Nak said, looking at him cautiously. "They are your people as well due to your mother."

"I don't care, they're still prey" he snorted and crossed his arms. "Besides, they treated my parents wrongly before I was born and I don't expect them to have improved over the years. The planet is primitive so I'm sure they won't entice me with anything they have. The planet itself, however, is a different story."

"Aunt Iliana said most cities would have pollution and the oceans probably aren't doing any better" his cousin added in with his own knowledge. Unlike his cousins, he thrived on knowledge from all fields, similar to Leitjin. His mandibles curled inwards in distaste as he stated, "I'd rather just watch it from within the ship than go out and watch my hand melt in their water."

"Don't be dramatic" Kahet laughed at his joke and slapped his cousin's back jovially. "Just go prepare your things and we'll worry about it when we get there."

"I suppose" Sau'Nak stated blandly and stood up, his 6'11 height making his older cousin look smaller. "Will you be attending the get-together dinner your mother's arranged?"

Kahet gave him a flabbergasted look and blurted, "Of course! She'd kill me if I didn't attend! She's been jabbing at me about it since I told her I was heading to Earth. I never should've said anything, it's like a milestone for her."

"Now who's being dramatic?" his cousin trilled and pointed with his thumb to Kahet's room in the back. "You'll be fine with our half-naked cousin back there?"

"I've faced prey double my size, I can handle him" Kahet assured and bid his cousin farewell. Sau'Nak nodded and left silently through the motion activated entrance.

Kahet looked over his living quarters for the past ten years and sighed. He was happy when he was back on the Ade'k'ra with his family but he also loved to explore new worlds and take in the sights. His current living space wasn't big since he was at the bottom of his rank but as he aged and gained more trophies, his home would move up over the levels until he'd gain one like his family had. At times, he envied the humongous area his parents lived in while he had a tiny main room and one bedroom in the back with a small trophy room by the side. He cherished the room he had when he'd been an Unblooded in his parent's home but he was independent now and he loved it.

_My parents have a bedroom so huge they could put a pool in it!_, he thought as he remembered the new area his parents had attained once his father had become an Arbitrator. He had been living in style back then and now he was stuck in a room that could pass for one of his parents closets. _Meanwhile, I can't even walk in the dark without tripping over something. I can't wait to be 35 and become a Blooded hunter so I can get a better quarter._

"What happened? Our unhappy Sau left?" Aru'Dre's voice interrupted and Kahet glared. His cousin had finally dressed in something decent instead of wearing his barely there loincloth. "Stop being angry, you'll turn into Bakuub."

"Don't you have anything to do today?" Kahet demanded as his cousin simply cleaned his sharp claws in boredom. Sarcastically, he implied, "Like, I don't know, pack?"

"Everything I need is on the ship anyway" Aru'Dre said, shrugging carelessly. He wasn't a organized male and usually let the eta's handle the work or have his family remind him. "If I need anything, mother will be sure to remind me. The ship is fully stocked so far."

"Well, as long as you're ready" he said, nodding approvingly. "Remember, we have a get-together today."

"I love those, we always have a bunch of food" his cousin purred, already salivating at the thought. Usually, he competed with his uncle Badru and Kantra for the biggest plate but never won. "I can't wait. All right then, I'm off to the Science level to go annoy Shadow."

"Just because we have a kainde amedha with a neutral peace treaty up there doesn't give you the right to bother him" Kahet stated as Aru'Dre snorted, annoyed by having him point it out. "I don't need you bothering him since he's a rare nonviolent being that's _not_ trying to _kill_ us. I don't want you grinding his last nerve, make him berserk, and kill you for stress relief. Besides, he's smarter than you and will probably lock your brain from over thinking."

"No kainde amedha's smarter than me!" he objected instantly, feeling insulted at the mere notion. "That's like saying prey's better than us. He's an ally. . .kind of. . .that's all!"

"Now you're being arrogant" Kahet said firmly and glared. "Our mothers are ooman and they're part of our society. Does that imply they're prey now as well? Or that no other passive species is ever welcome among us?"

"No! That's different. It's just. . .stop making my brain hurt!" Aru'Dre growled and crossed his arms arrogantly. "Just for that, I'll bug both Shadow and Eshin'Ga."

"She'll beat you into oblivion" Kahet laughed and watched his cousin hiss, securing his point. "Go tell Shadow he can join us if he wants. He likes new planets."

"But. . .but he's. . .what if he eats us?" Aru'Dre whined as he complained childishly again. Kahet sighed and felt like smacking him. He cherished the younger days when he could rough house with him, make him cry, and blame it on training.

"He's been on hunts with us before and nothing's happened!" Kahet pointed out, running out of patience. A trait he'd inherited from both his parents unlike Leitjin. "How do you think we found him? He didn't just fall into our laps! Actually, he fell on you but that's not the point. The point is he's been sentient as well as peaceful with us which has rarely occurred within hunted prey, excluding oomans. This is a chance to learn more about his kind like Eshin'Ga is doing up there. It's hard enough that he was ostracized by his own kind, I'm not going to make him miserable when you and I both know we've suffered the same. I may hunt but I will not criticize a being as inferior when it's intelligent enough to hold a conversation with me and not try to kill me." Giving Aru'Dre a glare, he finished, "Our mothers are proof of that so I'm telling you to open your mind for the last time."

"Fine, but he better not nest in my room!" Aru'Dre agreed in reluctance and tried to think of something positive. With a hand on his chin, he murmured, "Well, he's stealthy, maybe he'll help me do pranks."

"Oh no" Kahet sighed and sunk into a chair.

XXXXXX

Kahet walked into his family's home which resided many levels over his. He had worn a blue tunic with small mesh decorations over the chest area and a navy loincloth that reached his knees. He left his hair loose and had changed his grey clasps to silver ones. His green eyes scanned the main room as he entered and noticed his copper colored brother lying lazily on the couch. His 6'5 tall body draped over most of the couch, leaving little space for anyone else.

"Somehow I'm not surprised you're here already" he scoffed as Leitjin hissed and shook a fist at him without moving.

_He spends more time here than in his own quarter_, he thought amusingly.

"I'm tired since you let me help load the ship" Leitjin grumbled and glared at his brother, "Why did I let you talk me into it? Bakuub almost drove me insane with orders on where things went! Apparently, everything needs to be alphabetized in the store room."

Leitjin was currently an assistant medic and was gaining experience both onboard the Ade'k'ra and by traveling with Kahet's group to heal them as necessary. Since he was twenty six, he was mainly under a medic's supervision when performing any procedures despite he was flawless in the field. His mother was proud of it and boasted it to his father all the time while Leitjin tried to hide his embarrassment; he was still modest as a man as he'd been as a pup. Today, he wore his beige colored medic robes while keeping his hair tied up so Kahet guessed he'd also been working in the med bay after helping load the ship.

"He's like that when it's time to leave" Kahet chuckled and sat down on a chair next to his younger sibling. He remembered one time when his friend had yelled for a mismatch for a product he'd ordered and made him lug the crate back until he got the right one. He blinked and muttered, "You get used to it."

"It was horrible!" he exclaimed and sat up. Pointing to him, he blurted, "I'm a medic and I'm meant to be kind to everyone but. . .he almost made me curse at him!"

"You don't say" he said in fake shock, trying to keep a straight face as Leitjin ranted on.

_Leitjin's too nice to ever say anything bad_, Kahet thought warmly. _He's still the kindest yautja I've ever met._

"Since I helped with the ship, you owe me" Leitjin grinned and pulled out a piece of parchment he'd written on. With a sneaky grin, he said, "Here's a list of stuff I need."

Kahet snatched it and read it over silently. What the-

"This is all medic lingo, I don't understand any of this!" he exclaimed and gave it back with a frown on his face, "Forget it!"

"I polished your armor, you owe me!" Leitjin whined and gave it back. The two brothers fought with the paper until Leitjin ended up pinned down on his stomach by his brother, who held his arms crossed behind his back to prevent freedom. He grumbled, "Big whoop, so you're strong. I'm still not giving up!"

"What can you do? Inject me and knock me unconscious?" Kahet retorted and trilled at his struggling brother.

"No, my best weapon" he answered slyly with a smirk and called out, "Mother! Kahet's beating on me again!"

"That's low, even for you" Kahet hissed and quickly released his brother in order to sit back on the couch and look innocent. In a quiet hiss, he added, "No one uses the mother defense."

Frantic footsteps entered the room and their human mother had her lips thinned while placing her hands on her hips in frustration. Her brown locks were tied into a bun while she wore a maroon colored sleeved dress that ended in a slant down her left leg. Despite her firm glance, her sons stared at the pregnant bulge on her stomach. They forgot they were angering an expectant hormonal mother.

"You're leaving and you're fighting already?" Iliana demanded, glancing from a nervous Leitjin to a nonchalant Kahet. "I expect both of you to look after each other on Earth, not beat each other up."

"Yes, mother" Kahet agreed, clicking his throat irritably. Pointing to his brother, he said, "In my defense, he started it."

"I'm the innocent one, I'd never!" Leitjin said, looking to the side indignantly. Their mother still looked unconvinced at their argument and tapped her foot on the metal floor.

"We'll be fine on Earth" Kahet assured firmly as he cleared his throat to make her feel better. He never liked angering his mother anyway. "I won't let anyone get hurt on my watch. I'll make sure Sau'Nak's with Leitjin when they explore around."

"Good, humans will do anything to capture and study anything that looks remotely different to them at any cost" she said, looking at them in a worried glance now. The memory of her past making her cautious for her children's safety once they reached her home planet. "I don't want anything to happen to you two boys. I remember how they hurt your father years ago and I don't want it to occur to you too. So be careful and look everywhere with the different vision modes inside your mask, okay?"

"Yes, mother" her sons answered in unison as she left to fix a tablecloth on one of the tables for their dinner event in the next room.

"Mother, we're just going to Earth, it's not like we hunted down a clan of Bad Bloods" Kahet said, looking at his peppy mother as she hummed happily and kept fixing things in the next room. She stopped and gave him a death glare that instantly silenced him. Gulping, he stammered, "Of-of course, we're grateful for your token of motherly appreciation nonetheless."

Iliana smiled happily again and kept fixing the room. Leitjin sighed to himself, "Females are odd beings. I still don't understand them."

"You're the medic, you should know how to fix stuff like that" his brother muttered back.

"I'm a medic, not a miracle worker!" he pointed out quickly and gave him the list again with an innocent by sneaky smile.

"Arrgh! Fine, I'll do it!" Kahet mumbled and tucked it into his tunic's pocket. Leitjin grinned victoriously and wagged a mandible towards his brother mockingly. He waved him away and batted his shoulder, "Leitjin!"

The entrance opened again to show their father, Arbitrator Kantra, step inside while his twenty year old daughter, Aloun'Da, took size measurements from behind and typed them into her silver slate. Her father sighed but allowed it since he let her do what she wanted anyway despite her age. She was his only little girl after all. The 5'8 tall female skipped inside and sat down between her two grumbling brothers and hugged them.

"What're you so grumpy about? You're about to leave on an adventure again" she said, poking each of her older brother's temples with her fingers. Brightening up, she said, "How about I make you some nice dress robes? I received a new inventory with beautiful fabrics today."

Their happy sister had become a seamstress on board the Ade'k'ra and her creations were popular with the female gender, especially the adolescents. She'd been used to creating things at a small age so she chose to work with textile goods and had succeeded. She had her own business quarter in the recreational levels of the Ade'k'ra where she took and worked on orders of all kinds. However, she still lived with her parents since she had not found a mate. That's not to say she couldn't. The problem was her overprotective father who would frighten away any potential suitors with the end of his spear or break any amorous faces that turned her way. In his mind, no male was good enough for his only daughter until they brought down a kainde amedha queen with their bare hands before him.

"Aloun'Da, clothing won't solve sulking" Kahet told his sister who then sulked similarly to her brothers by crossing her arms and placing a gloomy pout on her face.

"It helps father" she mumbled with a pout and typed into her online slate again. "I'm making him a new cape. His old one is wearing out at the bottom and we all must look our best, especially an Arbitrator like him. I'll be sure to make that happen."

"Stop making your sister upset" their father growled and went over to pat her head protectively to change her mood. She chuckled and smiled up at her father as he grunted to her older siblings, "She's the happy one in the family. Don't ruin that."

"What about me?" Leitjin asked defensively, raising a brow. "I've been nice since the day I was born. Mother said so."

Kantra sighed and ordered, "You all are! Now stop putting each other down."

_These children of mine_, he thought exasperatedly but warmly. _They never change._

"Fine but fix mother's mood" Kahet negotiated and pointed to where Iliana banged an uneven eating utensil over the table furiously and loudly to straighten it out. Kahet stared with quick blinks and complained, "She's scaring us lately with it."

"You? You've barely been here for three months, I've lived with it the whole seven months so far and even more when you three were born!" Kantra blurted and smacked his son's arm to make him move off the couch, "Go help your mother."

"No, I'm tired" he whined and hid behind Aloun'Da, who happily shielded her oldest brother. He grinned impishly as he easily slid out of that unwanted chore.

_Lazy sons_, Kantra thought as he glared at his oldest who only smiled cheekily in return. _I spoil them too much. Kahet's becoming too much like me and Iliana will nag at me about it._

Grumbling, Kantra walked into the adjoining room as his mate fixed the dinnerware in deep thought. He leaned down and purred into her neck as he wrapped his arms over her enlarged belly to place his hands over it. He was happy to have new offspring after many years while Iliana hated how big she got.

"My boys are leaving again" she said sadly and leaned back in return as she placed a plate down onto the table. Touching the cold object, she sighed, "I miss spending time with them and knowing about their explorations. They're all grown up and don't need me anymore."

"They'll be fine" her mate responded to ease her worry and squeezed her shoulders fondly. Unlike yautja females, Iliana kept close continuous tabs on all her grown children and always worried after them. Kantra found the trait fascinating and prided himself for having such a concerned mate. "They always come back safe and they always seek you out first, of course they need you. No mother like you could be replaceable, Iliana, all our children need you no matter what their age is. I only want you to worry about the sucklings inside you."

_But I like mothering my boys_, she thought as she picked up a fork-like utensil and set it on the table.

"Their kicking sessions make it hard to ignore them" she said with an amused smile and placed her hands over his. "I hope you're happy, you're getting two sucklings in one pregnancy. And you're not leaving me with all of the work once they're here. They're twins, meaning it'll be twice the work, sweetie."

"As if I've ever left you alone" he snorted as she gave him a sly sidelong look. He groaned and confessed, "All right, I don't like it when I lose sleep. I'm a male and we don't coddle. Period. But it doesn't mean I don't love my pups any less because I give them to you."

"Uh-huh" she said and kissed his cheek. Her mate's complaints never ceased to amuse her as she asked, "Will you be here today?"

"Of course, I don't want to risk a tongue lashing from you" he trilled jokingly as they laughed together. Leaning down, he snuck in a small kiss from his mate and assured, "They'll be back before we know it. Maybe they can bring you some Earth food."

"Oh, that would be nice" she smiled and then gently smacked his hands away from her belly. Whenever he caught her alone, he would grab her into his arms to stroke her stomach until she fell asleep against him. He hissed as she chuckled, "No more petting the babies for now, I have work to do so call Aloun'Da to help."

"I could call some etas-" he started but stopped as his mate gave him another glare. He stopped and corrected himself, "Right, you're a 'do it yourself' female." She nodded and he hollered, "Lounda, come help your mother!"

"Yes, Daddy!" she yelled back making her mother wince as her shoulders tensed.

"Thank you, darling" she grumbled sourly and felt her twins kick once again from inside her stomach. Glaring at her mate from an angry mood swing, she snapped, "Oh! They're riled up again! I hope you're happy, Kantra."

"Yes, I am" he purred and chuckled as he bit her cheek softly. "I love it when you're feisty. It reminds me of the day we met."

"Do you remember what I did when you pissed me off?" she smirked but kissed him on the mouth softly. Kissing his chin, she smiled, "Purr to the babies for me, my love. I'd really like to finish setting the table with Aloun'Da and they love their purring father."

"Of course, my dear" he said as she sat down in a chair to rest her feet while her mate kneeled down and purred to her stomach. He never missed a chance to purr to each of his offspring before birth, starting with Kahet and now the unborn twins. "I can't wait to see our little ones."

XXXXXX

"Here's your stuff" Kahet said, throwing a gray knapsack into his brother's lap. Leitjin looked at the bag in complete puzzlement. Growling, he grilled, "Your items on the list, remember?! A list with jargon that almost drove me insane! Ring any alarms in your brain?!"

"Oh! Thanks" he replied and checked the bag eagerly. "You'll thank me when I heal you on Earth. How'd you find them? Honestly, I expected you to get lost within a second and not return for hours."

"Why you-" Kahet started but calmed himself before he strangled his only brother. He smirked and informed, "I pinned the list off on Uncle Ani-De. He was heading down to restock on some items so I asked him and he just gave them to me at my quarters."

"Lucky you" Leitjin said sarcastically and put the small sack to the side. Looking up at his brother, he asked, "So where on Earth are we going? You and Bakuub usually pick everything."

"Because Aru'Dre likes to pick chaotic places" Kahet pointed out instantly, annoyed. "You remember that weird volcanic planet! My sandals melted before I could even catch anything! There wasn't even life on it. It was just a ball of lava that melted a good pair of shoes. _That_ is why he doesn't get to choose anymore."

"And then there was that ice planet!" he continued ranting as Leitjin laughed. "My feet got frostbite while Bakuub's mandibles became icicles the instant he took his mask off. And poor Shadow, he almost lost his tail. You tell me a kainde amedha can't cry figuratively! He didn't come out of the science lab for a week. Good prey though."

"I could only imagine if he was captain of the group" Leitjin said with a grin as he wiped his eyes from laughing so much. "We'd have lost limbs by now and half of us would be goners."

"See? This is the bonding I want to see" their mother's voice popped in cheerfully from the finished room. She'd worked on it nonstop and it was now ready for later on. She walked over to them and gave each a warm hug. "I love you boys. So, do you want me to pack any food so you can take it?"

"No, we already stocked the ship" Kahet said as he wrapped an arm around his mother's shoulders. She was so small compared to him now, his 6'8 frame dwarfed her 5'5 stature easily. He always laughed when his mother complained about his father's 7'9 height. He remembered the days when she was still tall to him as a child and now she was the small one. Ah, he loved being an adult. "I'll hunt something down on Earth to eat."

"You're not going to eat a human, are you?!" she questioned and her face paled slightly. "You're still-"

"I won't eat part of my kind, I'm not a cannibal!" he exclaimed quickly and shook his head, trying not to laugh. "I'll hunt something else that's edible."

"But I could still fix you something" she said and pinched his green cheek with her hand. He winced but smiled anyway. "Don't be stubborn like your father."

"I'll take some" Leitjin piped up with a smile. "I'm sure someone will get hungry eventually."

"Great, I don't want anything happening to my babies" Iliana said in a motherly tone and squeezed them both again.

"We're not babies. . .we're men!" Kahet said proudly and thumped his speckled chest with his fist. Iliana rolled her eyes at her son's similar attitude to his father.

"I don't care, no matter how huge you get. . .which you already are, you're still my babies!" she pointed out firmly and patted her belly fondly, "I still remember when each of you were still growing inside me-"

"No, not the suckling stories!" Kahet cried out and ran out towards the nearest exit. Leitjin moved to follow but his mother placed an iron grip on his wrist. Unlike Kahet, Leitjin's reflexes and agility weren't as sharp as his.

_Oh no!_, he thought desperately. _I'm stuck now! There's no escape!_

"Mother, the med bay needs-" he tried to reason but she yanked him towards the next room.

"I miss talking to you boys, you're always off doing things on other levels of the ship" she said and made him sit in a chair as she sat in another next to him. Somberly, she sighed, "The months you spend here go fast, sometimes I wonder if I'm out of tune with you two."

"We never forget you, mother" Leitjin sighed and felt a little guilty. He did spend a lot of time in the med bay, he couldn't help it, he loved medicine. As for Kahet, he was either training or planning his next hunt. "We just lead our own lives now, but it doesn't mean you're left out. But you have my new siblings coming in, they'll love to be coddled like I did when I was a pup."

"You hung onto my skirt everywhere you went" she chuckled softly in remembrance. Her little Leitjin was a grown medic now, still shy but honorable. She squeezed his larger hand, a hand that had been tiny years ago, and smiled, "You never let me get out of your sight for a second or you'd cry. Kahet and Aloun'Da, however, were always wanting to explore or attach themselves to your father."

"And now my new siblings will partake in the path of life the three of us have taken" he said brightly and assured, "We'll be fine, mother. Your care is for these new sucklings, Kahet and I are adults now and we're capable of handling ourselves. We could never ask you to cater and care for us more than you already have."

"But I like doing that to all of my babies, I don't want to lose that" she said, biting her bottom lip. Smiling, she chuckled, "It's a human thing, I guess. No matter how much I fit in here, some human actions and behaviors don't leave."

"Don't worry, I won't complain" he said, smiling back innocently. He poked her shoulder and asked, "How about a dessert? You've always liked cooking stuff for us."

"Now you're getting cocky, but all right" she laughed and ruffled his dreads while her lips kissed his forehead. "I love you kids."

"We love you too, mother" he said with an honest smile and purred. "Always."

XXXXXX

"About time you all came" Bakuub growled at four of his members.

"We had a mandatory family obligation" Sau'Nak said simply as he went into the ship with his things. He would fix his belongings in his room quickly since he was the main pilot of the ship. His mother had taught him in his late adolescent years and he'd passed his test for certification so he flew the crew on Bakuub's ship all the time.

"If you would've attended then maybe you wouldn't be so grumpy" Aru'Dre teased him and quickly ran up the boarding ramp before his leader could take a swipe at his head. Leitjin sighed depressingly and followed his cousin without a word.

"Here, my mother sent you a meal" Kahet said with a smile and gave him a warm rectangle container.

"Thanks" he said, holding the box closely.

Bakuub had grown into a more serious and direct persona despite he was only thirty-two years old. His mahogany coating gave him a red toning on the upper part of his 6'10 body which was toned in rippling muscle after all the years of training. He commandeered the small crew of his privately owned ship and he sailed wherever his crew agreed to. Kahet and he remained best friends as always, even close to almost calling each other brothers. Since Bakuub's mother had died when he was born, Iliana had looked over the child after he met Kahet despite his father had found a new mate. Iliana always made him a meal even if he wasn't hungry and made sure he got home safely ever since the two boys became friends years ago. Since he had decided to remain on the Ade'k'ra with his sister, she invited them to partake in their family so they wouldn't feel alone. In return, both siblings looked to her as a second mother on board.

"You can eat it while Sau'Nak flies out of here" Kahet told him as both of them walked up the ramp, the ship humming lightly from outside as it warmed up. He patted his friend's shoulder in consolation, "It was a nice dinner. I'm sorry I couldn't be here to help."

"It's all right, the others helped" Bakuub shrugged and headed to the control room. Loudly, he called out into the first floor hallway, "We can leave now unless someone forgot to do something!"

"No, I made sure my females got their lovin' before I came!" Aru'Dre shouted back, making both males gag.

"I didn't need to know that!" Bakuub yelled back irritated. Arriving in the control room on the second floor, Sau'Nak was already before the main piloting console, awaiting his orders, "Everything's fine, you can begin."

"All right, just have to wait for clearance" he responded as he typed onto the silver console to secure the hatch of the ship. He informed to the older male, "Every member is on board and accounted for. The trip should take about a month to reach and we'll schedule the rest on site."

"Good, I'll be in the dining hall" Bakuub informed and left to eat his warm meal. He hadn't eaten since he began fixing the ship today and was starving, despite his commanding outlook.

The ship itself was fairly small, it fit no more than ten people, so each member had a small quarter to themselves on the first floor. They had a public bathroom, med station, and a small common room to share on their trips, excluding the control room. The silver ship was sleek with curved horizontal wings and thrusters at the end of the ship. It contained two levels to fit all of the rooms and was a cozy home to its inhabitants on their trips.

"Shadow, get out of my clothes unit and find another place to nest in!" Aru'Dre's voice yelled from Kahet's right direction. "You don't need a tight area when there's an empty room next door! No, you cannot take my clothes unit, I need it! Shadow, give it back! No! Augh! I've got slobber on my arm, gross! It better not be acidic!"

"Do they ever not fight?" Kahet muttered to himself and hoped he wouldn't get an early headache. His cousin looked up from his pilot chair and offered a small smile.

"Get ready for a month of it" he said as his claws tapped the sides of his chair. "If it was a choice on who to kick out, I'd choose Aru'Dre. The hard meat is more reserved than he and he's the outsider on the Ade'k'ra. You'd think he'd be more rebellious than him with the way our species is! Hard meats and yautja have been mortal enemies for centuries yet the one grinding our nerves is our ever loudmouthed cousin."

"Shadow, go find a box to sleep in! I'm not giving this up!" Aru'Dre continued his angry loud rant, his voice echoing down the hallway. "You're with us now so get used to sleeping in the open like the rest of us! Hey, don't call me whatever you just hissed! How about I swing you around by the tail like a stupid lizard? Ow! He's hitting me with his tail! Stop it! All right, you can keep it!"

"Better go command those two before we have chaos" Sau'Nak suggested without looking at Kahet as he kept his mind on task.

Kahet left the room and headed in the direction of the nuisance and spotted a navy colored kainde amedha hauling a storage unit with his two skeletal arms while gently batting away Aru'Dre with his long tail. There was obviously no real fighting but Kahet couldn't help but pity his whining cousin. Intervening, he grabbed the bluish tail of the hard meat to stop him and pinned Aru'Dre under his foot in one move.

"We have one month of travel and I do not expect to see this every day" he ordered sternly and released them both. Crossing his arms, he demanded, "Now, what's the problem?"

"He's taking my stuff!" Aru'Dre snapped loudly and quickly stood up. He pointed to a tall white storage unit and hissed, "It's my property and he's stealing! According to my laws, I can throw him out an airlock."

"Aru'Dre!" Kahet groaned in reprimand and glared at him, "Your made up laws don't mean anything compared to the real ones. Stop being crazy."

'_I need a new bed to nest in and this is small and comfortable'_, Shadow conversed in a telepathic voice. Most people would've freaked out from it but they were used to it since they met the strange alien anomaly.

"But it's mine!" Aru'Dre hissed back with a whine. Lifting his chin, he scoffed, "And I'm not crazy."

"Shadow, give him his unit" Kahet sighed and rubbed his temples from the noise. He needed to finish this quarrel before it gave him a migraine. "I'm sure there's another in one of the spare rooms so I'll help you find one. I don't want you fighting with this crazy one, however."

'_I apologize, my room didn't have a unit so I searched for one that would fit and this was the only one'_, Shadow said, squatting down on his legs in a crouch as he let go of the unit. '_I will try not to fight but. . .sometimes it's unfeasible with this one'._

"I have a name, don't ignore me!" Aru'Dre snapped at both males and began to haul his unit back to his quarter. Kahet and Shadow winced from the loud scrapes of the metal unit against the floor as he dragged it.

"Come on, let's go before Bakuub yells at all of us" Kahet sighed and the quiet being followed from behind diligently.

_This is going to be a long trip_, he thought. _I should've asked Bakuub to bring stasis pods to avoid conflicts. Then, I could chuck Aru'Dre into one and have some peace._

'_You're thinking about hauling Aru'Dre somewhere, aren't you?'_, Shadow voiced into his mind.

"Don't tell me you read minds now?" Kahet wondered in a joke and looked behind him. "If so, the yautja are very off-track in their knowledge about you."

'_No, it's all in the expression'_, he responded as he laughed in a series of clicks. '_I wish I could read minds, that would be extraordinary'._

"I think it's extraordinary enough that you can talk" Kahet laughed as the two walked down the hall together. The pair would've looked strange to any passerby's due to their peoples animosity but Kahet had grown up to give people a second chance and accept them. The others had done the same as well and now they were all bunched up in a small group after many years. The hunter humorously pointed out, "Most of your kind would try to devour me in seconds."

'_And some yautja on board look at me like I'm a meal'_, he answered back and tilted his head to the left side. '_I'm not sure whether to be repulsed or delighted that they find me delectable'._

"Let's go with the first" Kahet said warily and raised a brow ridge. "You're too calm sometimes, Shadow. I wish I had that kind of composure. Both our races are naturally aggressive, even among their own."

'_I was used to being ignored for years by my kind due to my unusual behavior and cognition that enraged the Queen herself'_, he spoke softly. '_I tune out the useless angry emotions that will get me nowhere though. I'd rather put my intellect to good use, like exploration'._

"Tell me about it" the hunter replied as he remembered the days when kids taunted him for being different. "It will pass once a person proves themselves."

'_How do you feel about meeting the other half of your kind?'_, he asked cautiously, not wanting to intrude on the personal issue.

"I don't look anything like them so it doesn't matter" Kahet admitted quietly. "I'm just there to hunt, nothing else. I'm tired of fitting in so I'll indulge myself in what I do best."

'_I'm sure all humans aren't awful'_, Shadow tried to reason without overstepping his bounds. '_There may be a good percentage worth studying. Your mother is an honorable woman despite being human so who's to say there's no others like her there?'_

"If there are, good, but it's not my concern" Kahet said and decided to change the subject, "What do you plan to do on Earth?"

'_Not much, study the inhabitants and help Eshin'Ga gather information as well'_, he said simply. '_She wants to get as much information as she can about all the planets we've visited'._

The ship rocked gently as Kahet felt it move upwards and begin their course towards Earth. The rumbling became silent within seconds as the ship sailed out of the dock and flawlessly into space at a faster speed than the Ade'k'ra. Kahet lamented quietly at leaving his family again, knowing how his mother fussed over his well-being.

_I'll see her soon_, he thought. _Maybe the sucklings will be born by then._

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the shower!" Aru'Dre announced, his footsteps thundering down the hallway.

"No one cares!" the only female's voice, Eshin'Ga, rang out from her quarters where she was studying a plant organism from a nearby planet under a microscopic scanner. "You better not hog all the water either!"

"Shut up, all of you!" Bakuub spoke over the loudspeaker of their ship and Kahet winced from the sudden noise, "Can't a man eat in peace?! This ship is on silent mode for at least an hour. Unless you're dying, don't make a peep! And if you are, go see Leitjin!"

"Wait! We're supposed to share the meal!" she blurted from her quarters and quickly stepped out to track down her younger brother. Kahet and Shadow watched the tall orange toned female jog down the hallway. "Bakuub!"

"Next time we choose a closer location" Kahet sighed and began walking again with Shadow.

XXXXXX

End of **Chapter 1**. Okay, so here's the first chapter of the sequel and the new group heads off to a new adventure on the little planet Earth. As you can see, they're an odd group and aren't the popular club of yautja among their own. Armed with a Xenomorph, it makes the groups even more peculiar. Thanks for reading and I'll be readying the next chapter which includes more new characters as the group becomes more diverse.


	2. Shooting Stars Across The Heavens

CHAPTER 2:

**Shooting Stars Across the Heavens**

"Help! I'm stuck!" Leitjin cried as he ran through the hallways in a bumbling manner. He had been trying to put on an item of clothing his mother had sewn for him at home but it only entrapped his head and arms. Aru'Dre poked out his brown head from within his room and pointed at his cousin in exploitation with a cackle. Leitjin whined and yelled, "It's not funny! Stop laughing! I know it's you, Aru!"

Kahet walked down the hallway to settle yet another problem while Bakuub practiced his skills in his private quarters. Grabbing his whining brother who kept slamming into the walls, he pulled the cloth over his head with a forceful tug until it released Leitjin. Looking at the mangled item, Kahet was surprised at how easily it incapacitated his brother. His brother had made a wise decision in becoming a medic from his view. Leitjin leant against the wall and caught his breath before a panic attack settled in.

"It's a sleeping robe" Kahet said plainly to his brother as he gave him back the tattered item. With a raised brow, he trilled in pity, "How in the world did you get trapped in clothes?"

"It's confining! I'm not an idiot, all right" Leitjin snapped and fixed his ruined ponytail. He muttered to himself, "That's the last time I try anything mother gives me."

"You're alive now, so it's over" his brother declared in a self-righteous heroic voice and patted Leitjin's back, who gave him a blank stare. "I expect a thank you."

"You're my brother, you're supposed to protect me" Leitjin scoffed smugly with a small trill and ran back to his med station before Kahet could have a different say.

"No fair, you always use the 'brother' excuse!" he called back and shrugged to himself afterwards. He liked being useful, even if it meant rescuing his baby brother from the clutches of an evil cloth rag.

"Kahet, go ask Sau'Nak when we'll get there!" Aru'Dre yelled out from his nearby room, his mind already bored and aching to hunt something. Kahet groaned at being given a useless task by his slothful cousin. "It feels like we're getting nowhere!"

"Fine!" he growled and muttered to himself, "You lazy male."

He stomped towards the control room while mumbling about his cocky cousin but as usual, it was in good fun. If he was another unknown hunter, he'd put him in his place but he'd grown up with Aru'Dre so he was used to his antics and besides, he was family. The only time he could piss him off would be during a hunt where he became a bother, but it was rare since the male was actually good at it. He arrived into the room with his head down in thought as he spotted Sau'Nak in the corner of his eye.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking out through the clear window to see twinkling white stars and a bright yellow one in the center of it all.

"We are in the planet's solar system" Sau'Nak explained, as he split the main window screen in half to bring up a projection of the system they were in. He pointed to a large reddish-white planet on the screen that was zoomed in, "We are nearing the fifth planet here. We've just passed the sixth planet with the rings and should be within Earth's orbit by the end of the day."

"Where's Earth?" Kahet asked curiously as he looked over the chart containing nine planets and their moons. He remembered his mother showing him the charts when he was smaller but he'd never seen a close up image of the planet before.

"It's the third planet from the sun" his cousin stated and zoomed into the planet to give him a better look. Kahet looked over the blue planet covered with green patches of land while Sau'Nak continued, "Despite they only have one sun, the planet manages stable life unlike the others around it. Most of it is covered in water as you can see, but the temperatures vary over the entire planet."

"My mother told me" Kahet whispered as he watched his mother's planet rotate within the screen. It looked so pure and untainted from afar, almost like a glass ball that could break with the slightest touch. He wondered if his mother missed her planet after so many years. "It looks so different than ours yet my mother survived on our planet without any gear." Moving his eyes away to clear his head from his reverie, he said, "Have you put in the coordinates my father gave us? I don't want to land in a wasteland or an overpopulated city."

"It's been typed into the navigation course" Sau'Nak responded and cleared away the projection to reveal the full screen again. "We'd get there faster but this system has an asteroid belt so I have to bypass that, otherwise, it'd be a smooth sailing on auto-pilot."

"As long as we get there" Kahet said, giving him a shrug and then sat down in a co-pilot's chair next to his cousin. He knew the younger male was a good pilot, gifted almost due to his mother's training so he never worried. "I got a glance at the ringed planet, it was beautiful. I haven't seen one like that before."

"I suppose, I'm not one that's excited by planets though" his cousin said simply and put the ship on auto-pilot for now. Leaning back into his chair, he turned to Kahet, "All I see is a sphere of varying size everywhere I go."

"Your vision's different than mine" he pointed out and looked out the window towards the growing star that was Earth's sun. With a smile, he said, "I see a palette of colors with every unique planet and thing in this universe. Every place has its beauty whether it's in a sunrise or the smallest flower. You see in a spectrum dominated by heat while mines is by visible light so I'm easily entranced by the different hues I discover."

"I've used it with my mask before but I prefer my natural born eyesight" Sau'Nak said, not really seeing the appeal of it. His species aimed to be the best and they were after death match hunts against humans, who were rumored to be arrogant in their inferior skills. Uninterested, he stated, "Color may be interesting but it doesn't aid in survival. To be honest, I'd feel vulnerable without my sight."

"I like both, one's good for hunting, the other for exploring" Kahet said and placed his hands behind his head to relax. "Are the other planets suitable for exploration?"

"Not on land exploration, we don't have equipment suitable for it" he said, typing into his console to bring back the previous solar system projection. "The larger planets gravitational field would pull us into a crash but the smaller planets are good for a quick look."

"Not the risk-taking type, are you?" Kahet chuckled with a grin at his calm cousin. The male was always a rule-abiding person and looked to the rational and logical aspects for an answer to a problem. Plainly put, his cousin was one serious guy.

"Of course not, it would only worsen and arise even more problems" Sau'Nak said, shaking his head in disapproval. His father had always taught him that brashness brought death while patience brought respect. "I'm not Aru'Dre. You need one level-headed person to keep you all out of trouble."

"What about Leitjin?" he asked, trilling quietly. "He's happy all the time."

"He pleases people with what they want to hear, I don't" he stated plainly and sighed. "I'm studying to be an Arbitrator. I can't appease criminals one day like he does with patients, they're two different things. If I gave my criminals candy and a smile, they'd shoot me in the head and stick the candy up my ass."

Both laughed at the small joke, especially Kahet since Sau'Nak rarely joked in public. The joker was his twin, Sri'shan, who always prodded his counterpart to live a little when they spoke. The two males calmed and the hum of the ship filled the small room.

"Look at my father, he's humorous and serious" Kahet suggested and laughed. "And he's a damn good Arbitrator so far. You can always liven up."

"He's your father, mines is the scariest Arbitrator on board" Sau'Nak said with a small smile in return. "I was raised by two tough people, I'm meant to act the same way. Yours are. . .eccentric."

"Don't I know it" he trilled and sat back in his seat, relaxing into the seat with a lazy mumble, "I guess I should prepare my weapons for the hunt. . ."

Kahet slumped more into his chair so Sau'Nak looked over and asked, "Aren't you going to do it?"

"Nah, I'll do it later" he replied lazily and yawned. "I'm going to watch my mother's solar system fly by. It might be my only time for many years to witness it."

XXXXXX

(On Earth: Year 2016 A.D., USA, East Central California, Yosemite National Park)

"Stupid mosquitoes, you die now!" a blond woman named Christina glowered as she sprayed repellent around herself in circles in an angry manner. Mist sprayed around the area as she snapped, "Annoying critters, you don't help out the planet at all! All you do is bite people!"

"Should we help her?" a brunette woman named Marissa asked, pointing over to her rampaging cousin near the trees.

"Nah, let her rant" a light brunette male dismissed with a grin, keeping up with their current hike by being the leader. He took out a water bottle from his backpack's side pocket and drank some. "It's better than having her stomp over spiders in the campground."

"She's killing the wildlife" a black haired woman complained softly behind the man and glanced at her blond cousin at the back of the line. With a sigh, she said, "I'm surprised she hasn't been fined by now."

"It's Christina, she'll threaten to sue and scare off any complainers just by glaring" Marissa responded with a dull look. It was futile to argue with the raging storm known as her cousin. She pointed to her own gray eye and stated, "She has the evil eye."

The four cousins had decided to take a camping trip to Yosemite National Park for the summer before Marissa and Bianca returned to their college work. Christina Pearson, the current rampaging amazon, was twenty-six years old and had opened her own real state business within the city of Reno, Nevada, after finishing her business degree before agreeing to come here with her family and was now regretting every minute of it. Her sneakers were mudded while she kept scratching her bare itchy legs and used her sweater to bat at critters nearby. Her usual tamed and styled short hair was limp and wet around her sweaty neck. Nope, she wasn't made for the outdoors but for the lofty comfort of inside a condo overlooking a city. The 5'7 tall woman stomped through the grass while her blue-grey eyes glared at her twin brother, William.

"Crazy family" she muttered as she caught up to them while itching her bitten arms. She growled at seeing her porcelain skin blotched with red marks and remarked, "I hate the great outdoors. They should cut it down and make toothpicks out of it!"

Her twin just smiled a toothy grin and kept walking without a problem. Unlike his sister, he enjoyed the outdoors and liked to get away from the city once in a while. He had finished a degree in engineering in his past semester and was able to find a job through his parent's connections to work in Los Angeles, where his other two cousins studied. He was a jovial person most of time and always leant a helping hand, which made him the likeable one in the entire family. . .which wasn't easily said for his twin counterpart.

"I told you not to wear your fancy perfume, but did you listen?" Marissa scolded her older cousin as she drank some water. She snickered as she shot back, "No, you wanted to be Miss High Class in the outdoors. Enjoy the bites that accompany the perfume. Mosquitoes love it!"

Marissa Solarez was twenty-four with a 5'4 frame and had brought proper clothes to hike in. Like Will, she loved nature and was trying to find a home where she could live in peace, away from the noisy and polluted city of Los Angeles. She'd been born and bred there and was currently studying in the field of psychology while having a steady job to have an income to pay off high student fees. Being an only child with one deceased parent and another who abandoned her wasn't easy so she made sure to work hard to succeed. Unlike her older cousin, she enjoyed the small simple things in life, not the most expensive things.

"I'd rather smell good than musty!" Christina snapped back and spread her arms angrily, "And can we please go eat at one of the places here? I don't want to eat anymore bland omelets and gritty coffee!"

"Too bad, you agreed to come so you automatically signed up for everything in the package" Marissa snapped with narrowed gray eyes and smirked, "That includes the bonus mosquito bites and home cooked meals."

"Maybe we could eat out, just once?" Bianca asked meekly with a raised finger for attention. Out of the group, she was the shyest and rarely got angry, which Christina found creepy because no human being could be that way in her book.

"Thank you, the voice of fairness!" Christina declared and grabbed her smaller cousin with her arm into a tight hug. Faking a sob, she exclaimed, "I love you, dear Bianca!"

Bianca Solarez who was twenty-one and also the shortest of the group at 5'1, was a pacifist and rarely got into fights, which couldn't be said for her elder cousins. She was studying to be a registered nurse at a community college in Los Angeles and would transfer over to Marissa's school later. Unlike the twins family who was supported well financially, she worked just like Marissa to calculate and pay off debts. She'd gotten a paid vacation from work so she decided to go with Marissa on her camping trip instead of staying at home on the couch watching soap operas and wonder who would murder who and baby drama. She rarely traveled out of Los Angeles so she jumped at the idea to explore with her relatives and hoped nothing would go wrong. Her voice was muffled as she tried to breathe over Christina's shirt smothering her face and groaned as she gave up and went limp.

"Maybe she should've done a double major in theater" Marissa mumbled to Will who laughed. She saw there was a halfway split and scoffed, "Fine, you whiners! We'll go out just once and that's it! We agreed to make our own meals and not waste more money than we need to."

"Good" the blond smiled smugly as her brother walked into their huddled group to cut in.

"Let's go! We're missing the waterfalls!" Will groaned urgently and ushered everyone over the path urgently with his hands. Once his sister began a conversation or goodness forbid, an argument, all movement would stop for at least half an hour.

"They're not going anywhere" his twin pointed out and took the lead without question. Grumbling, she muttered, "They've been there for hundreds of years, they won't disappear in a second because you didn't show."

"You don't know that, nature acts in different ways all the time!" he shot back and went to the front to argue his point in front of her. Their voices echoed as the other two stayed in the back, out of reach on purpose to stay out of it.

"I'm so glad I'm an only child" Marissa mumbled and trailed behind the quarreling duo. She didn't like arguing but she rarely relented on proving her point on important matters. Her target was the waterfall, not to engage in hostile chats.

"Hey! What's with the crappy satellite phone?" Christina spoke up to the others and waved said object around. She thrust it in her brother's direction and asked, "Will, where'd you get this? I can't tell if it's on or off."

Will shrugged carelessly, giving no answer, and went over to a bush nearby to look at a brown rabbit scurry away. Going deeper into the brush, he was about to head back when a group of rabbits sprouted out from the shadowed part of the area. Their claws scratched at his legs as they made their escape while he twirled around in surprise and tried to escape himself, his feet tangling in the bushes.

"Help me! Don't just stand there!" he yelled to his cousins who began to laugh at his misfortune instead, exploiting it further as they pointed. He fell onto the dirt and let the animals leave in their haste before getting up and looking over his dirt covered clothes. His arms didn't look any better either with thin red scratch marks. Still, while covered in dirt and leaves, he smiled goofily, "Aww! I love the free outdoors."

"I still have no signal" Christina pointed out irritably despite her brother's plight. Waving the silver phone around for a signal, she muttered, "Cheap phone."

"We're supposed to be one with nature, not stick technology into it" Will shot back as he began walking again. She grumbled incoherently and shoved the useless object into her backpack, not giving it a chance until it worked perfectly due to her impatience. He shook his head at his sister's disregard and scolded, "All this junk we create ruins our environment, it's surprising we haven't boiled alive from global warming due to rising temperatures over the years. . .or frozen, the theories are still loose on the effects."

"Don't start your hippie environmentalist talks with me" she groaned exasperatedly and pointed a finger to prod at his back, "I have business to take care of whether I'm here or in the city. Just because trees have no lives doesn't mean I have to also."

"The joys of business" Marissa said dully and rolled her eyes in emphasis. A smile then quickly appeared on her face, "I prefer medicine, thank you."

"Here, here!" Bianca agreed with her cheerfully. She looked forward to raise her voice to the twins, "We're supposed to be relaxing, not arguing. We're family, we're not meant to be killing each other in the woods."

_Weird family bonding is what we're doing_, she thought. _We're meant to be happy, not angry._

"If I die because of him, you better be a witness" Christina blurted, pointing to her two cousins sharply.

"No one would convict Will, he's too lazy" Marissa laughed and flicked her hand to slap her arm at a pestering mosquito eager to bite her. Her light beige skin gained a new red dot and she itched it for the relief despite the hygiene rules.

"I prefer philosophical thinker" Will said and cupped his chin in thought. The women rolled their eyes at the statement and he shrugged with a cheesy grin, "Besides, we all know Chris is the one with homicidal tendencies."

"Keep poking at me and you'll be sailing down the waterfall without a boat" she snapped defensively and picked up a twig from the ground to chuck at her brother. It struck him on the shoulder and he picked up his own to throw at her. Thus, a stick hurling competition began.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Marissa intervened quickly and got hit with one branch on the head as she tried to halt their fighting. She stomped her foot and reached down to grab the stick to wander over and smack both of them over the head, "Stop it! No stick fights! We're not meant to rearrange forest objects to act out revenge."

"Fine!" both twins grumbled and hiked on together as she was left behind to rub her forehead, knowing that a red bump formed without the use of a mirror.

"We're choosing a nice eco-lodge next time" Marissa grumbled to Bianca as they resumed their pace. "With different rooms. Soundproof rooms."

"Oh! I'll look for specials online, they have coupons sometimes" her cousin said brightly as her brown eyes scanned the trees for any animal threats. She felt a bite on her forearm and she slapped it as she shuddered from having an insect bite her skin; she hated bugs. As an afterthought, she added, "And we'll get some with good mosquito netting."

XXXXXX

"And then, the taxi pulled away with my cell phone trapped inside!" Christina finished in a dramatic pose over the warm fire in their campground. Her hand pressed against her forehead in a swooning pose as the other three blinked, puzzled by the oddly normal story.

"That's not scary! That's just an incident!" Will exclaimed and pointed his marshmallow stick at her. The women had been reluctant to use forest branches but he'd assured he'd cleaned them thoroughly at a stream nearby. He speared the white marshmallows on his stick and complained, "You suck!"

The four companions sat around the fire in their cozy pajamas as they told stories underneath the dark sky as dozens of stars glittered like diamonds above them. They had rented a cabin away from people so they would be within the wilderness of the park itself, not near other cabins on the outskirts that were assembled closely together like homes. The small cabin fit the quartet in one room and contained a living room/kitchen also. They had pitched in their money to rent it or otherwise they would've used tents, like Marissa and William wanted to in the beginning, but chose the cabin to not piss off Christina. However, she still threw a fit when she realized she'd have to use the public park bathrooms. 'It's practically a spa for germs' she'd said during the drive there until Marissa handed her a bottle of sanitizer and disinfectant.

"Whatever, I'm eating my ice cream" she mumbled, and proceeded to eat her French vanilla ice cream in peace. She savored the only processed food her tongue had touched since entering the nightmarish forest. It cost double the price than normally priced ice cream in the cities but it was worth it.

"Can't even tell a story" Will muttered in sarcastic shame and poked their campground fire with a stick to keep it burning. She looked away indignantly as she ate and he chuckled amusingly, "How shameful."

"Look, shooting stars!" Bianca spoke up eagerly and pointed to the sky while eating a hot marshmallow, the sticky goop burning her tongue. Her brown eyes watched the stars as she gushed, "They're gorgeous. I wonder where they fall, they're like wanderers of the heavens. I wish I had a telescope to see them."

"They better not land here, that's for sure" Christina grumbled as she licked her spoon clean. Unlike her cousins, watching the stars didn't appeal to her and seemed like a waste of time. She waved her spoon and justified a point, "Some of them could be satellites traveling around."

"Shut up and eat your store bought ice cream, Princess" Marissa snapped lightly and smiled at Bianca in agreement to her words. "I love this sight every time I camp outdoors. Nothing like this is ever seen in the city with all the pollution and lights that we have. All our advancements can make life better but it also has a consequence by ruining the planet's natural beauty. This sight is as breathtaking as a sunset and it makes you feel so tiny when you look at its endless depth."

"C'mon Christina, even you can't disagree when you look at them" her brother said, using his friendliest voice. Grabbing her by the shoulders as she ate, he pleaded loudly, "Enjoy yourself and forget the world in this wonderful isolation before I throw you into the wild to go find yourself!"

Christina pushed him away but looked at the stars overhead. They were beautiful, but they meant more to her cousins than they did to her. She found beauty within fashion and style, not in this manner. She didn't hate it but she sighed and let out a relaxed breath and decided to finally let it go and try to enjoy her time here. This was her vacation for the year and it would be better to place a smile on her face than a frown.

_Either I can complain and feel worse or learn to enjoy it_, she thought as she watched the twinkling jewels in the sky. _Maybe I can adjust to this place, though it won't be easy._

"Look, there's another one!" Marissa smiled, pointing to their left. The snow colored star shot across the sky at an odd angle, however, making the four look at it strangely.

"That's weird" Will spoke up while staring at the area where the star had flown by. The white glow disappeared and he furrowed his brows, confused and curious about the event. "I don't think stars are supposed to do that. It seemed to swerve rather than flow in an arc formation."

_Unless it's not a star_, he assumed thoughtfully. _What a strange phenomenon._

"Maybe it's a retarded star" Christina giggled as she stood up to throw her empty cup into a metal rectangle bin nearby which would be closed off at night to ward off hungry bears. She laughed to herself about the joke as she sat down while Marissa glared at her back.

"There's no such thing as a retarded star" she pointed out, not amused by it. Sometimes her cousin could be blunt and derisive to a point that almost drove her insane and she could only imagine what non-relative people thought of her. She shook her head and looked up at the sky to address it in her own respective manner, "The universe is a beautiful and unexplored territory all on its own. Don't insult it."

"It's being explored already, we've already mapped out the usable parts of Mars, it's only a matter of time before we send robotic beings to colonize parts of it for us and extract materials" Christina said simply and went to sit next to her brother again. Will shook his head at her rational thought and she pointed out, "Humans are conquering beings, it's been that way since evolution began."

"You're right, unfortunately" Marissa mumbled regrettably and pointed at her in defense, "But there are those who'll oppose that, like me. I'd rather explore and leave a place untouched, rather than ruin it to fit my culture."

"Hey, what if that star was a UFO?" Will interrupted the two and stood up to wave his arms around in a creepy manner. He looked at each of the women and eerily said, "Aliens supposedly abduct people in forests all the time. What if we're next? We'll be hauled off and studied just like humans do to animals for the sake of SCIENCE!"

Marissa and Christina laughed at his dramatic suggestion as he posed like a mad scientist while mimicking the theme from the old X-Files show on television. Bianca, however, was frightened instantly from the unknown possibility it could happen. Unlike her cousins, she was startled easily by anything remotely fearsome. The others rarely watched scary movies with her for fear she'd scream her head off and possibly cry, which Christina hated. Marissa, however, adored horror genre and joined Will's singsong theme as Bianca let out a whimper.

"That's not funny!" she said nervously as she watched the sky suspiciously now. The fire gave her face an eerie orange glow as she spoke softly, "It could happen, you never know. That could be why people disappear all the time mysteriously in the forest."

"That's ridiculous!" Christina snorted and grabbed Will's stick of marshmallows. He gave a moan of complaint for his loss of a snack as she bit into one and said skeptically, "Aliens are a myth, it's not proven. So don't be a baby, they don't exist."

"You don't know that!" her twin objected as he yanked his stick back to place new marshmallows to replace the empty stick. Being the alien aficionado that he was, he quickly debated her belief, "There's a bunch of hypotheses on a variety of aliens out there. People try to find them for a living, you can't deny that they'd waste their whole life looking for something that can't exist. Sooner or later, we'll find something, you'll see."

"Were you reading one of your alien books again?" Marissa asked gently, smiling at him. She was on board with his thoughts and usually supplied him any books she picked up relating to those topics. She informed him of a recent book she'd gotten, "I borrowed one from the library that's new. It's called-"

"The Earthen Life Factor" the two cousins finished in unison and Will explained to the other perplexed women eagerly, "It's about the newly found planets similar to Earth in the Gliese 581 system and the probability of life among them. Also-"

"No more aliens, it's creeping me out!" Bianca butted in loudly and grabbed a blue blanket to cuddle into. It covered her torso and stopped underneath her nose. Marissa laughed at her childish look and stopped her talk about aliens to calm her down.

"Fine, but I still find them totally awesome if they existed" she murmured in a soft tone and Will nodded in agreement. She then bit her lip in second thought and said, "Unless they want to conquer us, that would piss me off. Then our planet would be screwed by both races-"

"Let's eat marshmallows!" Bianca blurted with shut eyes, purposely stopping the conversation, and stood up to stick more white marshmallows from the nearby bag onto her stick. The talk had already made her uneasy, especially in the dark lonely area they were at after witnessing the odd star. An alien could pop out of the darkness and kill them before they knew what happened! Placing her stick over the fire, she said shrilly, "No more alien or monster talks!"

"Aww! But Big Foot!" Will moaned in protest and laughed afterwards with a devious grin, "What about Nessy? It's all the way in Scotland or the Yeti? They don't live in a forest."

"No!" she snapped anxiously and ignored him by placing her hands over her ears. Will laughed and stood up to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in peaceful friendliness as she gave him a small glare. Marissa muffled a chuckle with her hand while Christina rolled her eyes and followed Bianca's idea.

"I agree with Bi, this is dumb" she said uninterested and stretched her muscles as she stood up from the log they all sat on. Licking her lips, she smirked, "Now marshmallow aliens, they'd be scrumptious and would be annihilated instantly."

"That's my sister, killing aliens by eating them" Will said in disappointment, faking a sigh and then took a bite from his marshmallow. He grinned to his sister as he joked, "She'd be a regular monster hunter."

"The only hunting I do is closing deals with clients" she pointed out blandly and stumbled around the dimly lit campground to look for something. She kicked away small twigs and rocks as she called back, "Where's the hot chocolate? I'm cold."

"It's inside, but bring me the rich mexican chocolate to make" Marissa called out to her. Christina turned around with her thin eyebrows furrowed as she slanted her hourglass hips to the left in question.

"Why? I have mine which has less sugar" she stated abruptly and pouted distastefully, "Yours has way more calories."

"But it's more delicious" Marissa purred in delight and hugged herself. "And it quenches my chocolate craving. Besides, I'm on vacation, I can indulge."

"Whatever!" her cousin sighed and stomped away into their cabin.

"You think we'll see anymore crooked shooting stars?" Will asked the remaining two. Bianca poked him in the ribs with her marshmallow stick three times to stop him. He swatted her away and cried, "All right, I'll stop! Jeez! You act like I killed your pet cat or something!"

XXXXXX

(Within Earth's Mesosphere)

"Who the hell turned my ship sideways?!" an angry Bakuub demanded as he entered his ship's control room with a heaving chest and clenched fists. His golden eyes narrowed with his furrowed brows as his mandibles flared furiously. Sau'Nak sat in the pilot's chair as the ship regained its steady speed and leveled angle while Aru'Dre sat in the next chair with a frumpy frown. The mahogany toned hunter reprimanded sharply, "We're entering an atmosphere here!"

"Were you on the toilet?" Aru'Dre grinned impishly and twirled around in the co-pilot's chair to face him.

"What the hell kind of question is that?!" his leader yelled angrily while the other male simply kept smiling. He hated his innocent look and growled, "No, you idiot!"

"Oh, then it was him" he said carelessly, pinning the blame on Sau'Nak as he pointed with a dark finger. Bakuub, however, didn't believe a single word of it. If there was another word describing Aru'Dre other than 'infuriating', it was 'troublemaker'.

"Aru'Dre, what were you thinking?" Bakuub hissed at him and flared his mandibles. The hunter enjoyed joking around but sometimes, he made the stupidest mistakes. He crossed his arms impatiently and waited for him to answer.

_If he wasn't my childhood friend, I'd break him_, he thought.

"I didn't mean to, my foot accidentally hit the controls while I relaxed in the chair" he explained quickly and hoped his leader would calm down before he went on a rampage and killed him. He wanted to bag his first human trophy before dying prematurely. "It's not like I did it on purpose."

"Luckily, I came in here quickly when I felt the slanted angle or we would've made a 360 degree turn while piercing the atmosphere" Sau'Nak explained to Bakuub as he shot his younger cousin a glare. Aru'Dre, however, was oblivious to it and simply grinned.

"Really? That would've been awesome!" he spoke up excitedly and then flared his upper mandibles to grill the pilot, "Why'd you stop it?"

"We would've disintegrated into pieces in the atmosphere" his cousin hissed back roughly and punched his arm. Usually, he wasn't an aggressive male like most of his peers, but there were some situations he couldn't avoid.

"Oh" Aru'Dre said blankly and gave him a haughty look as he waved his hand, "Then next time, be sure you're here to stop my screw-ups before I remind you why you're our pilot."

Sau'Nak growled and shot back, "It was on auto-pilot and I was gone for only a few minutes to have a meal. Furthermore, I want you out of here until we land on Earth."

"I couldn't agree more" Bakuub agreed with a nod making Aru'Dre sulk.

"You just love getting people in trouble" he said unhappily to Sau'Nak with furrowed brows. As much as he loved his family, his bluish cousin could be a real stick in the mud sometimes. "When will you live a little?"

"I follow protocol and if you break it, I will enforce the penalty" he stated simply as he looked over the controls one more time to assure himself everything was in perfect order with no problems.

"And that's why you're the boring one in the family" Aru'Dre said with a smirk, hoping to anger him. He was always more than happy to make his cousin display a look of anger or happiness instead of the usual mildly interested expression on his face. He gave a grin to point out, "You sound like a machine."

"That's your opinion" Sau'Nak said calmly, not taking the bait. Pointing to the only door exiting the room, he instructed, "If you'd kindly leave-"

"Fine, I'll listen" he growled reluctantly and looked to both males as he stood up from his chair. "I won't ruin anything here that will cause the ship to spin no matter how cool it looks. I have better sense than that despite what you think."

He was about to exit when Kahet burst in, wearing only a loincloth while his dreads dripped water over his chest and back. Looking into the room, he barked furiously, "Who's the damn idiot who made the ship flip?! My eyes got burned by the cleansing wash and I almost broke a leg in the shower!"

"That's hilarious!" Aru'Dre cackled but Bakuub punched him in the side, hoping to finally silence him. The hunter winced and rubbed his side, "Ow! He almost broke a leg, that's funny!"

"Go to your quarters" Bakuub ordered angrily, not in the mood to handle any more drama from his crew. His friend was about to argue but he yelled, "Now!"

"Fine, but you guys have no humor whatsoever" he hissed in annoyance and left the room quickly in a huff. Kahet sighed at his cousin's antics and tied up his hair while his leg stung from his ankle to mid-thigh causing him to shift his weight to his left leg.

"Go to Leitjin" Bakuub ordered him and saw his hair dripping droplets of water onto the floor. He then added an order he didn't want to do himself, "Then clean up the mess."

"I almost broke a leg!" Kahet exclaimed sharply and grunted to his best friend, "Fine! You owe me a c'ntlip drink when we return to the Ade'k'ra."

Kahet left while grumbling about his crazy pick in friends and headed to Leitjin's med station. Sau'Nak sat back in his chair to pilot the ship securely without rest as they reached the landing coordinates. The atmospheric layers of Earth had gotten cooler and lighter so it wouldn't be long now before their trip ended.

Looking over at Bakuub as he typed into his console with perfect precision, he said, "We will land in less than an hour."

"Good, I'll gather the crew once you land to instruct them" he said with a nod and exited to let him carry on in peace. He needed to ready his armor if he was going to go hunting the following day.

Sau'Nak nodded back without looking and made sure everything was accurate on his computer. He didn't want to land anywhere near a city on accident and get spotted. They needed somewhere to hide the ship and cloak it before anyone saw it. Earth's technology was advancing, despite its inferiority to theirs, so he had to make sure there was no chance of detection. Sitting back in his chair as he logged in the landing coordinates, he let the ship fly on its own again in Earth's dark sky until he'd manually land it.

"Hopefully, Aunt Iliana's forest is not gone by now" he muttered to himself. She'd given him a safe location to stay at that had provided coverage for her and his uncle when they lived on Earth years ago. "Wherever this Yosemite is, it better provide coverage."

XXXXXX

(In Yosemite somewhere, 1 am Pacific Time)

"I still don't see why you picked me to come" Marissa mumbled as she wiped her watery eyes. She had almost gone off to sleep when Christina called from across her bed to go to the public restroom with her. Now, the two were walking up an incline while Christina used her flashlight to guide them in the pitch black darkness.

"The buddy system" she stated positively while holding her flashlight tightly. She pointed it in every direction to make sure no people or animals were there to surprise them. "I'm not about to get lost or kidnapped in the dark. I've got too much to live for. Besides, Bianca's too wimpy to come."

"Hey! She's just skittish" Marissa objected in her defense and pushed her cousin lightly from behind. She shivered and stuffed her hands into the long sleeves of her sweater. "No sane person wants to be here in the cold at this hour."

"I know but when my bladder says it has to go, it's gonna go whether I like it or not!" Christina snapped, angry at her body for not making the nature call sooner. The two cousins walked quietly, one in a blue two-piece pajama and sweater; one in shorts and a sweater.

"Why do you sleep in shorts? It's cold here" Marissa scolded as her cousin's teeth began to chatter in the dark. She chuckled softly in regard, "Stubborn woman."

The two reached the dark bathroom together and entered quietly. Marissa went on alert in case there was someone inside but Christina charged in and shone the light in each stall with one hand while using a bat she brought as protection in the other. After making sure no one was inside, she gave her cousin the bat and went inside one of the dark stalls.

_I can't believe I'm using this_, she thought dismally and she pursed her lips as she watched the toilet nervously. _I'm having my butt detoxified, if possible, once I get home._

"Why a bat?" Marissa asked curiously, looking at it as she waved it. Most ordinary people would carry a wooden bat, but her cousin decided to bring a heavy metal bat. She posted herself at the entrance like a guard while watching the outside cautiously. "We had mace."

"A bat would scare off a person more than mace would" Christina called out from her stall as she did her business, her mind screaming against the possible bacteria. "Mace blinds, while a bat breaks their bones. It's just easier."

"Mm-hmm" she said and looked at the sky, taken in by its beauty all over again.

_Beautiful_, she thought happily. _I could spend hours just looking at it. Too bad I don't have time for astronomy classes._

From her right, she heard a rumbling noise pass overhead in which she went outside to look. Pointing the light into the sky, she spotted nothing out of the ordinary but she could still hear the noise pass by. It was almost like an airplane's engine or similar right above her but there was nothing, just a perfect sky.

_No planes pass by here though_, she thought. _That's strange. What could be making the sound? There's nothing-_

"Hey, where's the light?!" Christina shouted from inside the bathrooms. Forgetting the incident, she quickly ran inside and pointed the light to the stall. The blond woman sighed in relief and snapped worriedly, "That's better. I thought you'd gotten kidnapped! Don't scare me like that, Mari!"

"I'm sorry but I heard something" she apologized as Christina finally finished her business and opened the stall. She went over to the sink to wash her hands in the icy water, her skin shivering from it, while Marissa asked, "Did you hear something just now?"

"No, why would-" she started when she felt the earth tremble lightly and froze in shock. Marissa grabbed her arm in a reflex and quickly led her to the doorway. The two women stayed there while the ground kept shaking. She was used to earthquakes in Los Angeles and wasn't bothered by them while they unnerved the strict blond.

"Is it an earthquake?!" Christina yelled, a little frightened. Her fingers dug into Marissa's arm protectively and ordered, "We have to get to Bianca and Will!"

The two grabbed each other's hands as they ran into the open and walked back unsteadily as the ground shifted their feet around. It wasn't the best idea but they needed to check on their relatives to make sure they were safe. They walked down the small slope and the movement stopped instantly making Christina stumble forward but she balanced herself before she fell headfirst. Marissa looked into the trees to see if any damage had been done or any sign of distress but nothing.

"Let's go" Christina said cautiously and the two walked back to their cabin nervously. She was tired from all the surprises today and didn't want to be taken back by another quake. Her feet crushed the small twigs underneath as she muttered, "I've had enough adventure for today, thank you."

"It had to be an earthquake" Marissa rationalized despite her mind poked at the rumbling noise as something questionable. What could it have been? Planes had lights to pinpoint their location but she saw nothing. Seconds later, an earthquake hits?

_Too many odd things have occurred tonight_, she thought and shivered from the mysteries. _I don't want to be out here anymore._

"Whatever it was, it's over" her cousin stated and they walked on in silence.

Arriving at their cabin, they locked their door tightly and sighed in relief for getting home safely. Both women went to their shared room and found their other family members still asleep. Marissa got into bed quickly and warmed up in her covers while trying to forget the whole incident entirely. It didn't seem right and it kind of scared her. She didn't want to know what happened right now, she just wanted to sleep it off and forget. Christina, however, was never going to wander to the bathroom at night again and cursed at the quake. Looking over at her snoring twin who slept on the bottom bunk of the twin beds, she snorted and felt like flicking a spitball at him like she used to when they were teenagers.

"Can you believe he just slept through that?" she hissed to Marissa. "And here I was worried about him."

"I guess they didn't feel it" she answered quietly and sighed blissfully at the warmth in her bed.

"Let's get some sleep, if another one hits, I want to be knocked out" Christina mumbled as she cuddled up to her blankets. She punched her pillow and grumbled, "I don't like earthquakes."

XXXXXX

"Not a bad landing" Sau'Nak said to himself as he powered down the ship but left the invisibility cloak on. Despite it was nighttime on the planet, he wasn't leaving anything to chance.

Finding the area was fast but he didn't like the dense coverage of trees since they could damage sensitive areas outside the ship. Nonetheless, he found a place with fewer trees and had landed there. . .after taking down two or four of them. Hopefully, no humans nearby would see it in the nighttime but the landing tremors may have been felt.

_No matter_, he thought. _If any oomans come near to investigate, they'll be picked off if they're worthy._

Standing up, Sau'Nak stretched and walked out of the room as the door opened automatically for him. He walked to their common room where the group had already gathered. Bakuub nodded to him in acknowledgment while Aru'Dre looked excited already. The pilot snorted softly and couldn't wait to sleep himself after being awake longer than any of them.

"Now can we hunt since we're on the stupid planet?" he asked eagerly to Bakuub as his golden eyes looked up expectantly. The leader sighed and reminded himself he was the poster boy of the perfect Young Blood.

"No thanks to you" Eshin'Ga said with a glare. Aru'Dre growled defensively in return in which she laughed, "It's true."

"There will be no hunting as of right now" Bakuub instructed all of them, which received a loud groan from Aru'Dre. He ignored him and continued, "Sectors of this area must be cleared for hunting and then we will begin. Also, since this is a new planet and we are still inexperienced, I want us to hunt together or at least in pairs close with each other. Remember, we were granted this special hunt and we must be careful to complete it with honor."

"If you're scared, you can tell me" Aru'Dre grinned humorously and patted the taller male's shoulder. He snickered softly and soothed, "It's all right."

"Get off me, fool" he growled in return and smacked him away, causing the medic and scientist to laugh. The sepia hunter smiled for his achieved reaction and settled himself into a seat in the room, surprisingly listening to his friend.

"I only want to explore" Leitjin spoke up while standing next to his brother who gave a cautious glance. Eshin'Ga and Shadow nodded in agreement, ready to catch their first samples of the planet. Scientists rarely visited Earth from her clan so she could get serious information that could boost her position while Shadow would keep it to himself and hope that he would get some kind of recognition despite his species.

"All right, but Sau'Nak will accompany you at all times" Kahet said firmly to each of them. "You will take turns every day until we say so. Be careful and do not approach any wildlife, whether ooman or non-ooman, at all times. We don't know their reactions to spotting us and we can't risk it either."

"If we loose Leitjin, who'll patch us up?" Aru'Dre asked with a wide smile, patting Leitjin's back. The medic just sighed and said nothing.

'_That's not what Kahet meant'_, Shadow said and looked at Bakuub. '_Eshin'Ga and I will scan over the area while you rest for the day'._

"It's nighttime on the planet so it's rare that any oomans are around" Sau'Nak informed the group as he looked out the only window in the room from his spot. "Once morning arises, the sectors will be finished being scanned and you can begin. I'd suggest hunting near dusk since Aunt Iliana informed me that oomans are still out at that time and it will make a hunter more inconspicuous in cities or most settings."

"Thank you, Sau'Nak" Bakuub said sincerely with a nod and addressed the group who were still eager to explore, "We will begin tomorrow so prepare."

"No, I wanted to kill something now" Aru'Dre groaned childishly and pointed to him. "I hope you get hit in the crotch while running in the forest."

He conjured image in his mind and laughed loudly as the other group members sighed. Bakuub growled and smacked him out of the chair, "Get out of here and prepare."

Everyone left towards their respective quarters, their voices echoing in the hallways anxiously, except for Leitjin and Kahet. The younger of the two sat down and yawned due to his lack of sleep.

"When you go, don't get near any oomans" Kahet ordered firmly as he looked at him. He didn't care if something happened to him but his younger brother was a civilian and he wouldn't let anything happen to him. They were on a dangerous planet and he wanted Leitjin to take all possible precautions. He sat down in a chair next to him and stated, "They cannot be trusted and I will not have you injured. Follow Sau'Nak's orders at all times, he's level-headed on all missions and won't risk any danger."

"What about you? What if those beings hurt you?" he asked protectively, narrowing his eyes. He knew his brother's position was always risky but he didn't want him to die if he could do something about it. He was a medic, he was meant to cross any dangerous lines to help a comrade.

"I'm a hunter, if I am caught, I will die honorably" he stated of the unchanged law of their people. With a grin, he said, "And take as many as I can down with me."

"What if they cheat during the Hunt?" Leitjin asked softly, flaring his lower mandibles. "I will not have you dead by those kind of tactics. If so, we never should've picked them and you could've waited until you were older."

"I can take care of myself, but I want you safe" Kahet said sharply, pointing to him. In a softer tone, he continued, "As your older sibling, I will make sure you're protected, Leitjin. You're not experienced like I am and I'd blame myself if you were injured out in this planet after trying to keep you safe. Heed my advice and stay close to the ship."

"Fine, but I'm still going to look at oomans" Leitjin grumbled reluctantly and crossed his arms. He wasn't a good fighter like the other males but he wanted to do something on his own to prove himself. That was what their culture was about, proving oneself and keeping that respect. Also, he wanted to see his mother's people in their natural environment. His brother glared at his rebellious comment and he corrected himself, "From afar, all right!"

"When we get ready to leave, I'll take you with me to explore in the cities" he said sincerely to his brother in a compromise. He may have been firm when it came to his brother but he didn't want to shut him out of rare sights of any planets. Leitjin nodded happily and trilled making Kahet smile, "All right then, now go to sleep."

"You're not mother" he said in defiance but stood up to yawn softly. "But I'll listen, only because I really am tired."

Kahet chuckled to the comparison and patted his brother's back as Leitjin left the room sleepily. The green hunter then left to his own quarter to rest for a few hours as the ship's dim lights turned off to conserve energy. Tomorrow would be a day where he would gain new trophies and impress his peers with his skills once again.

XXXXXX

End of **Chapter 2**. And we introduce the rest of the characters with their bright, harsh, and wacky personalities. Over time, they'll develop into better or worse people, everyone has a different view on it. I decided to keep the meeting themes within dark foliage, similar to Iliana's and Kantra's first meeting. So thanks for reading and your previous review, and hope you enjoy the story as it develops. I try to make my stories long and this one will be no different. As for artwork, I've fallen behind since I've gotten addicted to playing Killzone 2 recently so I apologize.


	3. Hunting Miscalculations

CHAPTER 3:

**Hunting Miscalculations**

"So, none of you felt the quake? At all?" Christina demanded skeptically while drinking her morning caffeinated coffee. She rarely withstood any mornings without it and was usually scolded lightly by Bianca about her addiction. The older woman then rebutted she'd given up smoking for everyone else's sake at 23 and wasn't going to give up caffeine until it killed her. "In this God forsaken forest?"

The four cousins sat on one of the campground's lunch tables while eating their morning breakfast at eight am. The morning was chilly but the air was warming up as the sun shone through the trees, a light mist filtering into speckles through the glowing sunlight. Mosquitoes, however, kept biting. She gave her relatives a firm gaze as her manicured fingernails tapped the styrofoam cup in wait.

"Nope, I was in dreamland" Bianca said without hesitance, taking a bite from her scrambled eggs with a hungry stomach. Once her nose had taken a whiff of the steaming food, she'd been first at the table to eat. She smiled coyly and chuckled, "Where hunky men come to be my patients."

"Eh. . .yeah, something like that" Will said slowly, looking at her with a perturbed glance. Quickly, he returned to his trademark laid-back grin, "Except mines were Playboy centerfolds."

"Hey! We're eating here!" Marissa protested against his macho thoughts as she finished her meal and began drinking her decaffeinated coffee. She placed the cup onto her empty plate to save space and mumbled, "When I want to see beautiful women, I'll ask. I wouldn't mind seeing a hunky man diving into a lake though."

"Now you're undermining my gender" Will pointed out to her in rebuttal and burped accidentally. He then covered his mouth embarrassedly and added, "Whoops! And don't say that's stereotypical behavior! It was involuntary."

"And here we were, worried about them" Christina sighed to Marissa with a derisive snort as the other woman smiled. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she muttered, "Good thing I was off the can before that thing hit or that would've been embarrassing."

"Aw! Mari, you should've used your camera to record it" Will joked, bursting into fits of laughter. He loved his sister, despite her animosity, and always enjoyed friendly humiliation to poke her with. He held his stomach as he conjured up his words to make the others see his point, "Imagine seeing the great Christina screaming murder on the toilet and running away with her shorts around her feet while she scrambles for safety. That could've been an online hit and gotten her more clientele!"

He began laughing in an uncontrollable manner while his twin turned red from anger, almost resembling a strawberry. Marissa tried to control her snickers and ended up spitting some of her coffee out before choking on it. She grabbed a napkin to dab at the droplets on her lips and chin while hoping no one saw that, her lips still in a smile towards her fuming cousin. Bianca just kept eating quietly to herself and tried not to interfere in the squabble. She knew the risks and wouldn't take the bait. Eventually, Will stopped when he saw his sister hurl his water bottle into the woods.

"No! I didn't even do anything!" he cried out in defense as he stood up to look for it. He groaned at seeing the dewy bushes and knew his hands would be cold and wet after digging through it all. At times, he wished his sister didn't have a short temper that could've rendered him as a sissy with her controlling ways. Instead of having a childhood bully to fear at school only, he lived with his until college. He grumbled as he dug into a bush, "That's low! You sacrificed an innocent water bottle for your dignity, for shame! My only bottle too at that!"

"Be lucky I didn't throw your phone or your clothes" she retorted while grinning triumphantly as she sipped her drink smugly. Pointing to her two cousins, she warned with a low voice as her eyes narrowed into slits, "_Never_ mention the toilet incident again."

Bianca nodded from fear of being the next target while Marissa began to laugh again before she could stop herself. Christina stood up instantly but she stopped her by crying out frantically, "No! I'll listen! Just don't throw any of my precious things."

"So what're we doing today?" Bianca spoke up lightly in peaceful intervention while Marissa hugged her hotheaded cousin around the waist for mercy.

"I'm going to pig out in one of the restaurants here" Christina said decisively, prying off her brunette cousin to smooth out her gray wool cardigan sweater. Marissa smacked her arm as she sat back down and the blond shrugged, "I don't know about you guys."

"We can plan once we finish eating" Bianca responded gently with a smile and looked over at a scavenging Will. She really wished everyone would get along without arguing for at least a _day_; she hated fighting. Her dark brows furrowed as she gave a sympathetic sigh, "And after he finds his stuff."

"If it was up to me, I'd leave after that earthquake" Christina muttered to no one in particular, still riled up from the incident last night. She stuffed her cold hands into her deep sweater pockets and mumbled, "I hate those things."

"Well, it's not your decision, and we're going to keep exploring" Marissa snapped and grabbed the empty plates to take inside. It was her turn to clean the dishes since she chose to bring reusable plates instead of paper plates to help the environment. Christina had then negated to doing that chore entirely and chosen to make coffee, which was the easiest chore of all. As she turned to leave, she stated, "I understand your aggravation but no rumble's stopping me."

"Arggh! Maybe the aliens should've abducted you yesterday" her cousin grumbled in return and Bianca glared at her for the remark. She didn't want to be reminded of it and her older cousin scolded her, "I keep telling you there's no such thing so stop that! You should be more scared about a nuclear war than aliens, that's more likely to happen!"

Marissa rolled her eyes and walked away to leave the feud, passing by a foraging Will in the nearby bushes. He pushed back the foliage while crying out as his hunched position ached his middle back, "Oh, water bottle, where art thou?!"

XXXXXX

"Just look at the different wildlife" Leitjin told his brother curiously as they stood outside their invisible ship. Kahet was fully armored to begin his hunt while Leitjin wore light armor on his chest and a mask for his breathing. His head went in every direction to memorize the new area and trilled as he observed, "It's similar to ours."

"Ours is better" Aru'Dre snorted arrogantly as he stood behind both cousins in his own silver hunting armor. He'd been up for several hours in anticipation for his first human trophy and was the first outside the ship when it opened. Bakuub had thought about waiting another day to make sure everything on radar was clear but he pointed out they'd be fine. . .a mistake that would soon end with serious consequences.

Leitjin watched a small furry animal with long ears hop over the grass as it ate, it's pink nose twitching continuously. Out of nowhere, a large bird swooped in, grasped it in its razor-sharp talons, yanked it into the air, and carried it off. He sighed in pity as he saw the poor creature get drifted away to be eaten by the stronger bird.

_Survival of the fittest_, he thought glumly. _The rule of which we live by._

"Ha! That was awesome!" Aru'Dre butted in loudly while laughing. He looked back to the others for similar opinions and trilled, "Did you see that? That thing stood no chance."

"That wasn't funny!" Leitjin protested firmly and crossed his arms. Despite his domineering society, he was neutral when it came to other extraterrestrials. A trait most yautja didn't have in their personality, for example, his loudmouthed cousin. At times, he wondered if he'd be better off living with the more peaceful clans of his kind rather than La'u-Yun. The medic shook his head and mumbled to himself, "That poor creature was just minding its own business."

"It was prey and it was weak, therefore, it must be hunted" his cousin pointed out carelessly and scoffed to the calm medic, "They live by the same laws we do. How do none of you find this humorous?"

"Because we're not insane like you" Sau'Nak responded simply with a grunt and pushed him forward. He didn't have time to waste if he was going to show Leitjin around the mapped out areas. His fortitude was inside the ship and he had no curiosity regarding this planet at all so he wanted this done.

"Makes you wonder how we're related at all" Kahet snickered to him and they both trilled softly behind the sepia hunter's back.

"Shut up! You're both boring anyway" Aru'Dre snapped back defensively and growled at Kahet, who instantly returned the challenging tone and puffed his mottled green chest. Aru'Dre enjoyed competition and Kahet never backed down from a challenge, not a very good mix. Bakuub separated Aru'Dre from the other before both started arguing in the middle of nowhere. He didn't need a fight to begin amongst his crew members instead of the intended prey.

"Enough!" he ordered with a bark and looked to each of the five members with him for attention. Aru'Dre walked away from the main group to set up his own spot alone and Bakuub sighed mentally for his prideful defiance. Once he made sure all of them were listening, a growl or two later, he gave out their objectives, "Kahet, Aru'Dre, and I will be heading to the cities near the outskirts of this forest to hunt. We will separate on our own until we catch the sufficient amount of trophies for the day. I want constant communication between all of us in case there is any danger. Sau'Nak, you can explore with Leitjin while you practice your camouflage tactics. This is a good planet to do so and you may hunt the wildlife if you choose to. Leitjin, follow all of his orders without question. Do _not_ approach any oomans at all."

"What if they need help?" Leitjin tried to bargain with him in an innocent tone, playing the concerned medic that he was. He wanted to see one, even if at a distance, just to compare them to his mother's tales.

"They can find their own medic, you're ours" Bakuub stated firmly with a slight smirk that made the medic frown under his mask. Leitjin nodded in defeat and he nodded to his party, "All right, keep your camouflage cloak on at all times. Let's head out."

XXXXXX

Sau'Nak jumped over the tree branches with perfect precision as he explored the forest carefully. He zoomed in anything suspicious with his mask's optics as he dug his sharp claws into the tree's rough bark to keep his balance steady. His back leaned against the bark to hide his form as he scanned every organism that lit up his mask's sensors. Leitjin tried to follow, but as seeing that he was a medic and not a stealthy hunter male like his kin, he kept nicking the branches with his feet as he jumped while getting hit by coarse leaves from the tree upon landing. His cousin was further up ahead so he stopped and sat down on the thick branch he was currently on.

_How does he do this so easily?!_, he thought embarrassedly.

"I'm not going any farther!" Leitjin called out to him as he rested. He didn't have the long endurance of the hunters and wasn't about to hurt himself to prove otherwise. He'd already chosen his profession and hadn't signed up for climbing trees. He crossed his arms and protested loudly, "I'm not about to fall out of a tree and break my useful arms when there's no oomans around here! You can keep doing your fancy stealth moves but I'm walking."

"Fine, just meet me in this tree and we'll observe from here" Sau'Nak responded quickly as he sighed mentally over his slowness. He added a quick order as Leitjin stood up to jump off the tree, stopping him in mid-step, "Use the trees, we're not leaving any questionable tracks in these places."

"Who'll find them?" Leitjin questioned as he took careful jumps over the branches to reach the next tree. In every jump, he hoped he'd made the perfect timing to not cause him to fall and possibly injure a hand. Hunters would've called him vain for fearing a broken bone but he needed his arms to perform medical procedures. Running over the next branches, he leapt onto the next one until he landed where his cousin was. The pilot was crouched as his claws dug into the branch, brown pieces breaking off from the force, as he cautiously watched the area. The medic sighed and pointed out calmly, "We're in a forest away from civilization. I doubt oomans study every inch of this land every single day."

"Oomans are curious creatures by nature, we cannot leave it to chance" his cousin responded as he scanned the forest floor again. "Curiosity can turn dangerous with primitive beings as they and I won't risk it."

"You're paranoid sometimes, Sau'Nak" Leitjin said with a smile as he sat down to rest against the tree, eager to relax his hands from clutching branches. His cousin merely clicked his throat in irritation as he looked over the area. The medic yanked a small clump of sharp pine needles nearby to observe them and advised, "You should relax and do something spontaneous once in a while to stop your tension. You're always serious, it's turning you paranoid."

"I am not" Sau'Nak responded simply and rattled his throat at the thought, dismissing it. Yautjas were never at ease unless they were in their personal quarters, away from challengers of any kind. He watched a bird fly by carefully overhead and pointed out, "I am making logical decisions that will leave our presence here unknown, which is one of the rules of the Hunt. We must not make any contact with the locals for any reason. Otherwise, I could just walk up to one and greet it, completely disregarding the rules that our clan has set forth."

"You're too uptight to do that" Leitjin trilled humorously and zoomed in on a four legged animal with brown fur and small horns on its head eating the grass underneath them. The animal was lost to its observer as he chuckled to his partner, "You'd probably start lecturing them on the dangers of walking alone in the outdoors."

"I fail to see the humor" his cousin said dryly and tilted his mask covered face to the side. He had no idea on governing systems in other societies, except for those that were useful for trading and intelligence purposes to his people. He gave a light click with his mandibles to state, "Oomans probably have a different safety system on their planet. Why would I enforce mine?"

"Oh, I give up!" he sighed loudly and slumped against the rough bark of the tree. He'd never see his cousin be humorous again as in their childhood. Now, he was wrapped up in everything that related to the Hunt, law, and other knowledge. It was sad to say that even he, the gentle misfit of the group, was more outgoing. He patted his cousin's back and slumped against the tree with a smile, "I'm going to sit back and enjoy my mother's homeland. . .without the fierce paranoia of the unknown."

Sau'Nak tensed up within seconds as he spotted faint human signatures within his sight. Zooming in with his mask's visor, he spotted four humans heading their way. Looking at Leitjin, who looked asleep next to the tree due to the lack of movement, he informed sharply with a hiss, "Oomans are approaching. Four of them."

"Really?" Leitjin asked excitedly and began to stir slowly from his perch. Out of all his wishes, he was being granted one now. He thanked the gods happily but didn't let his cousin know unless he wanted a scold for such an idea. Sitting up, he asked curiously, "Where? I want to see them."

"They're headed in our direction" Sau'Nak answered distastefully and rumbled his chest in annoyance to order him, "We must leave before they arrive to bypass the risk of detection."

"Why? We're cloaked, they won't even see us!" Leitjin objected quickly and tried to negotiate with him however he could. He wasn't a good debater but he'd try for his only chance to see a human. "We're hidden away in this tall tree, I doubt their sight is as keen as ours to make out our forms in this shade. Can't we just study them from here? I won't move an inch to make my camouflage perfect."

"And if they spot us? What then?" his cousin argued angrily as his sensitive ears picked up the aliens high-pitched laughter. It sounded strange to his ears, almost like a horde of pup's laughter. He remembered hearing his aunts Iliana and Zia in those similar tones while young but their dialects had changed over the years to a yautja's tone. He didn't want to stay and every instinct in his body told him to leave before risking their exposure but Leitjin grasped his arm before he could get a head start.

"Then we'll leave" the medic said simply as his own mask zoomed in on the beings. He instantly recognized one male and three females from the anatomy his mother had told him about. Their physiques detected them as the adult stage of human prey but didn't qualify due to not being armed. He relayed the information to the pilot and made him hide behind the thick foliage as he justified, "Their running speed is no match for ours if they happen to see us. We'd be gone within minutes as they shake their heads in curiosity. Relax, cousin, and let's observe."

"I am not a laid-back man, Leitjin" Sau'Nak hissed tensely and hid behind the leaves of the tree as they prickled his skin while keeping a good view on the humans as they came closer. His shoulders tensed at the new situation and he stated sharply, "If anything happens, I will react hurriedly and you will obey my orders without question. Understood?"

"Yes" he muttered reluctantly but smiled behind his mask nonetheless, happy he'd won the argument. Most individuals who debated the knowledgeable pilot rarely won but maybe his cousin had finally decided to let him have a freebie.

The four humans walked into their line of sight and the two yautjas watched them quietly from their high perch. Sau'Nak stayed extremely cautious as he eyed the beings warily, awaiting any kind of conceivable attacks from them. He wasn't interested in the humans in the slightest manner but he wouldn't put his guard down merely for his partner's curiosity. No species, regardless of their prey status, was to be trusted by any yautja and he would stand by that. However, Leitjin was another case and just plain curious to see his mother's kind in a natural setting despite the possible risks. The humans were unarmed so in his logical mind, what was the worst they could do?

_I wonder if they're nice like mother or cruel like those others she warned me about_, he thought.

Leitjin saw the male human wave his arms in the air while one of the females who was similar to him in skin tone and height, pushed him out of the way to keep her pace through the forest. The other two females laughed from their humorous antics and ignored the duo as they walked from behind, sharing a plastic bag of crispy treats. It almost reminded Leitjin about his cousin's outlandish behavior around their crew and their clan ship. Where human and yautja behaviors similar sometimes? Or did hybrids inherit personality characteristics of humanity unknowingly? Questions began to scratch at his mind about the possible answers. He knew his people had helped civilize the barbaric species millenniums ago but did their interactions allow traits of personality to enter the human environments and stay throughout their evolutionary stages? Yet again, some humans that exist now descended from random mating liaisons with his kind when they exchanged cultural information.

_My mother acts very mature_, he thought. _Yet at times, my father and she act in the total opposite and become comical. Maybe my father inherited some of her personality into his. Or maybe it's just a sociological factor. Oh, I wish I had Eshin'Ga or a history scholar with me to help answer my question._

The humans kept walking together, oblivious to the two males watching them overhead as they passed underneath their tree. One of the females pulled out a small object and gave it to the shortest one of the group, who ate the food bar happily in thanks. The four beings walked off and away from their sight within minutes as they traveled down a sloped path. Leitjin strained his neck to look farther ahead but they had disappeared over the path and into the dark trees.

"See? Nothing happened" Leitjin said smugly and trilled in content. "Just like I said and I saw nothing to depict hostile behaviors there."

"We must find another area before any more oomans come by" Sau'Nak ordered and ignored his comment, making his cousin groan since he didn't want to keep climbing. The pilot crawled delicately over the branches, making no noise, and stated without room for argument, "I will not risk our exposure. Come."

"Arrgh! I hate climbing trees!" Leitjin growled in annoyance but followed his orders. He stood up and balanced his body as he rubbed his wrist joints to warm them up. "I'm a medic, I am meant to walk, not to climb!"

XXXXXX

A scream echoed behind an empty construction site as the sounds of cracking bones and tearing flesh followed afterwards. The sun reflected through a transparent body shape within the shadowed area as a cloaked hunter dropped the lifeless stump of a body and climbed the unfinished building with his trophy behind his shoulder, tucked away securely by a clamp. Landing on a cemented floor of the unfinished second story, the hunter clicked his mandibles within his mask to press two small dials with his tusks that opened up a communication line.

"I've got my first trophy, how about you?" Kahet called to the other two hunters as he trilled happily about his kill.

"I have two" Bakuub's voice responded back to him in a few seconds. "Aru'Dre?"

"Still looking so shut up!" he growled irritably disappointment from his end. "These oomans scamper like insects around their cities. It's near impossible without alerting someone. They should stop reproducing so much! It's taking the fun out of hunting for us!"

"They don't travel the stars like us" Kahet pointed out as he jumped over to another building with ease and began climbing it. The rough material scraped his claws but he was able to embed them into soft crooks of the hard material and climbed quickly. He kept a lookout for any activity and continued, "They are beings that live by a money-driven society and rarely interfere in the affairs of others, or so I hear. They work to ensure their own survival, unlike us."

"If oomans ever travel the universe, they'll realize that most races trade rather than use meaningless currency" Bakuub said with a pitiful snort. "We still haven't heard of universal currency and these oomans thrive on it. They'd be at a loss once they meet other species."

Kahet heard sharp sounds of gunfire echo off to his left and purred with the idea of more prey. His mother always said that wherever shots fired, violence couldn't be far behind. Violence equaled dangerous opponents; opponents that qualified as trophy worthy. He began to run in the direction of the noise to see if his guess was right.

"I'm going to scope out a new area now" Kahet spoke into the communicator. "Kahet, out."

He ran over the rooftops of the buildings until he spotted a small group of humans behind a row of buildings, tucked in a darkened alley for an easy picking. He zoomed in his view and scanned four armed humans who had cornered two others. Scanning each to assess their threat level, he marked the four human males as qualified prey and the other two as innocent civilians. Trilling softly, he looked around to find a type of box platform next to the building which contained stairs.

He decided to use that rather than waste his energy by climbing down the building. Using his camouflaging cloak, he walked down the floor levels quietly until he stood on the second level. Looking down, he remained unnoticed at his post so he studied their speech patterns. It was murky at first but his speech filters cleared it into the English language.

"Give us your jewels and money or you'll be full of lead!"

_Great, such a nice sentence for my first trip_, Kahet thought dryly. _Cheap criminals from my view and I hate the heckling of innocent people._

Studying the two shivering humans, he felt pity. Obviously, they couldn't defend themselves against four armed people so he classified the attackers as immediate Bad Bloods of the human society. Reaching behind his back, he grabbed his combi-stick and extended it carefully to keep any noises silent. He watched the interaction between the humans and targeted the leader of the four first, he'd be the worthiest to take down unless he was a coward. Humans did have a tendency to turn tail and run to save their own skin. Jumping quietly onto the secure railing of the platform, he targeted the human while he kept a flawless balance on the rail, used to the poise techniques since his adolescence. Raising his spear into the air, he aimed carefully and threw it within a few seconds at the angry human.

Kahet jumped off the railing instantly and was on his feet before the spear entered the human's back from behind in a bloody splatter. By the time the criminal realized his imminent demise, Kahet had snuck behind the three shocked humans as they looked at their fallen comrade. Kahet snorted mentally at their useless actions and unsheathed his wrist blades to plunge them into the back of another who cried out in horror from the sharp weapon cutting into him like paper. He raised his weapon upwards and sliced them out cleanly through the human shoulders with a low growl. Dropping the body, he decided to uncloak and scare them with his real form while the other innocent humans ran away fearfully before wanting to meet the same fate. Kahet paid them no mind, they weren't on his list anyway, and stared down at the two remaining humans as his size dwarfed their soft fleshed bodies.

"What the fuck is that?!" one of them cried in horror while falling over one of the dead bodies. Kahet smiled and walked forwards menacingly making them back away instantly as their mouths gaped from fear.

He didn't dignify them with an answer, only a roar which echoed throughout the area. Walking over to the leader's dead body, he pulled out his spear with one hand in a simple jerk and kicked the bloody carcass out of his way carelessly. He gripped it tightly and pointed the spearhead at them as his deep voice rattled from within his mask menacingly, "Time to meet your maker."

A shot rang out and he felt a slight tingle enter into his right arm. Looking down, he spotted a small trail of dark green blood flow down his forearm. Oh, so they decided to shoot at him. No matter. Laughing loudly, Kahet walked towards the humans who decided that shooting him dead was their only means of survival.

_I would've preferred hand-to-hand combat but it's their choice_, he thought. _It's almost too easy._

He ran in their direction and avoided most of the bullets with his agility and quick dodges, never faltering in his steps. Either way, all he felt from the hits were tiny pricks against his skin since the weapons were meaningless when used against his skin. Obviously, the criminals didn't use good weaponry despite the advanced technology humans had attained. He wasn't soft-skinned like humans so he was rarely injured by such weaponry but he wouldn't let it go to his head. Humans were tricky and a cocky hunter could easily meet his downfall if they miscalculated. Punching one man in the stomach, the coughing human tried to escape by running away but Kahet grabbed his neck, crushing the frail windpipe and bones instantly in his strong grip. Plunging his blades into his prey to deliver the finishing blow, it seized to move within seconds as its body gave the last involuntary twitches. Growling at a new barrage of incoming bullets prick to his back, he simply turned quickly and threw his spear into the remaining human to strike him in the chest and put it out of its meaningless existence before he really became irritated. Looking over the bloodbath he left on the cemented floor, he nodded to himself in accomplishment.

_Not bad if I say so myself_, he thought. _They weren't much of a threat but they're still prey. Time to claim my prizes._

Quickly but carefully, he beheaded each of his defeated prey with a serrated knife he kept strapped on his belt. Yanking off each of the heads with a sickening rip, he pulled out the white vertebrae as if it were nothing but a piece of thread. Using his knife and claws, he ripped away the loose facial skin and tissue until only the skull shone in the sunlight with small globules of blood reflecting off the wet bone. He stood up straight again and attached his new trophies onto his back as he looked around to make sure his presence would remain unnoticed there until he was clear of the area.

"Time to go" he mumbled to himself.

He jumped onto the platform again and activated his cloak. He went up the stairways with ease but made sure his weight didn't resonate on the metal or bend it since humans were the only ones meant to be on it as a means of escape. After five floors, he reached the top of the building again and opened his link to receive further orders. He watched the blue sky of Earth with its thin white clouds in random intrigue until the others answered his call.

"I'm done" he informed the others and tapped his foot to occupy himself from boredom on the rooftop. "I'll be heading towards the meeting point now. How long will it take you two?"

"I'll head there now, I'm done as well" Bakuub spoke up after a bit with a small hiss. "There isn't much game here, unfortunately. Aru'Dre?"

"Does a skull still qualify as a trophy if I shattered the back of the skull?" he asked the other two, who groaned at his carelessness.

"We told you ooman skulls were soft, Aru'Dre! They're not tough like kainde amedha" Bakuub snapped in reprimand, then sighed in irritation. "Just bring it in. We'll see what can be done."

"Fine, I'll meet you too then" he said to them snappily as his voice suddenly wavered in curiosity. "Right after I kill one I'm watching."

"Make sure not to shatter the skull this time" Kahet warned him and closed the connection before his cousin could argue against the comment.

_Today was somewhat fun_, he thought as he began to run away from the building and pulled up the coordinates map inside the left side of his visor to have a quick look for navigation.

XXXXXX

"Do we have to meet up?" Leitjin grumbled in protest as he followed Sau'Nak through the treetops again. He landed harshly on the thick branch of the next tree and felt a sharp bushel of pines needles strike him in the chest. He growled and swatted them away as he'd become tired of falling into them, "I'm not a climber!"

He kicked the bark of the tree but then felt remorseful for hurting an innocent object and letting it irk his normally gentle temperament. Sau'Nak rolled his eyes as he watched his cousin pat one of the tree's branches and continued to follow him clumsily from behind to the next tree.

"I hate your skills, Sau!" Leitjin cursed loudly as he almost lost his grip on a high branch after a jump. His nerves froze instantly but he managed to make a successful jump and let out a surprised whimper.

_How does Kahet do this all day?_, he thought in dismay. _My arms already feel separated from their sockets!_

"You should've trained more with us when we were small, little cousin" Sau'Nak answered back and gripped Leitjin's shoulder to make sure he stayed balanced on the tree. The medic rested his back against the tree as he slinked down into a crouch to catch his breath. The pilot shook his shoulder and assured the younger male, "But I'll look after you."

"I'm not a pup, I can take care of myself" he mumbled quietly in complaint. He was a medic, he should be looking out for them, not have it the other way around. But he was right, he was out of his league when he was on other planets trying to do what his family did. He always admired his older brother for the things he did but today, his respect grew tenfold since he couldn't keep a good grip on most branches.

_Next time, I'm training with him to toughen up_, he chastised himself. _My body's lean with rarely any muscle while Kahet and the others have perfectly sculpted bodies. I want to look good and be able to do the things they do but I don't like hunting._

"I'm not the one falling out of the tree" Sau'Nak stated simply making Leitjin glare upwards at him. The medic envied his perfect posture in the tree and snorted at him. The pilot merely shrugged and said, "What? I'm just stating an observation."

"You're mean sometimes" Leitjin muttered and crossed his arms making his cousin laugh. He stared in surprise since Sau'Nak barely laughed out loud in public. He was too reserved for that after many years and kept his tone to a usual chuckle.

"I am not, that's Aru'Dre" he said dismissively, shaking his head at the notion. He didn't see himself as a pompous male that degraded others, especially not those within his family circle. . .except Aru'Dre, the male practically asks for it most of the time but he rarely gave in.

"Still, can't we go study humans?" Leitjin whined pleadingly and cocked his head to the side for innocent emphasis. "They're interesting and you can learn too!"

"They're not that exciting" he stated blandly with no concern and yanked his arm to make him stand. They had stayed out for a few hours and he was more than ready to return to the confines of their ship. "We must keep moving."

"Oh!" he complained but nodded reluctantly as he stood up wobbly. Usually, he exercised his body by running laps, swimming on the Ade'k'ra, or lifting weights but this trip had already tired his arms. For once, he agreed with the impatient pilot to return home but still asked, "Can't we use the ground?"

"No, we are masters in camouflage and thus, must keep hidden at all times" Sau'Nak pointed out in fact as he jumped across to another tree with graceful ease. His cousin could only feel another sense of slight envy for the elegant movements that made his shame the entire yautja society.

"You sound like a computerized lecture!" Leitjin called out in light insult and made the jump himself. He grabbed the branches for support once his feet made contact and hissed softly. Crouching, he growled tiredly, "How far until we reach the area?"

"About 5 minutes" he answered easily and opened his gauntlet computer to make sure of the coordinates as he gave the medic time to relax.

"Can't we walk the distance?" Leitjin asked again gently, trying to coax his cousin again. He purred to fuel his plead but the pilot only grunted.

"No" was the reply.

_My soft tones usually work on most people_, the medic thought grumpily. _Except him, he's immune!_

"Oh!" he groaned loudly again and slammed his fist onto the branch. Pointing to him with the other hand, he declared, "For that, you're not getting your yearly vaccination!"

"You can't do that, it's against your oath and regulations" Sau'Nak stated matter-of-factly with a simple smile under his mask. His cousin growled at his knowledge of it and knew he was right about it.

_Is there something he doesn't know?_, Leitjin thought frustrated.

The two stuck to the treetops until they came within a short distance from the destined area. An open clearing of pasture laid before them and Leitjin sighed in relief that they'd arrived. Sau'Nak looked around cautiously to scan the area while Leitjin sat on a branch and caught his breath.

_Maybe the others will come soon_, Leitjin thought hopefully.

"That's it, no more exploring for me" he panted to himself and felt trickles of sweat trail down his face. Groaning, he unclasped his mask despite his cousin's protest and wiped his face to clean it. His nose breathed in the strange air but managed to breathe it comfortably compared to other planets that contained acidic air. He wiped the inside of his mask carefully to not damage the sensitive circuitry and sighed, "I should've brought candy for quick energy. I can't believe I forgot to pack it with my things when we left the Ade'k'ra."

"You're not a pup anymore" his cousin reminded him and pointed to him with a parenting tone. "You should eat more protein rather than carbohydrates."

"I'll keep my carbohydrates, thank you" Leitjin said adamantly, he'd never give up his favorite unhealthy food. As a medic, he knew he should've but it was an addiction he wouldn't give up. Not even his mother could win when she tried during his adolescence by banning them in their home. He replaced his mask carefully and attached the breathing cords as he trilled softly, "Besides, my patients like my free treats. It makes them happier and comfortable."

"Those are the pups" Sau'Nak pointed out and shook his head, his mood lightened by his cousin's happy tone. The medic was kind to everyone, especially his patients and over the years, many Ade'k'ra constituents trusted him with their care despite his different genetics. He continued by stating, "They take a large amount and you end up paying for the quick refills before the week ends. Now we have hyper pups all over the ship."

"No, we don't" he scoffed dismissively and waved his hand. Proudly, he trilled, "Besides, uncle Ani-De doesn't handle pups the way I do. He scares them while they love _me_."

"Because you lure them with candy" his cousin said quickly, trying to keep a straight face but was losing it already. He chortled without thinking and demanded as he laughed, "Who gave you candy all the time anyway? You're the only one in our family who eats that stuff. I remember seeing you carry that bag of yours everywhere and nibbling on stuff when no one was looking. Instead of training, you snacked."

"I got them from my father and Elder Lar'Ain" he answered simply and grinned happily as he explained, "They always gave me treats and I saved them in my bag. You should see a drawer in great-great-grandfather Lar'Ain's office, he took me there once when I visited his level accidentally. He had a drawer full of them! Maybe that's why he's so happy."

"If so, he should give some to grandfather Nak'Aru" Sau'Nak snorted, snickering lightly. He always tried to keep himself stoic but Leitjin always made his barriers break with his innocent banter. He reminded him of his twin, Sri'shan, on the home world who was his complete opposite. Both should've been mature by now but instead, retained some of their childhood qualities. He closed his gauntlet and crouched down to sit next to him, "Imagine him smiling or laughing, that would be a sight."

"That would be like our clan winning an intergalactic peace award" Leitjin laughed at the impossible scenario.

"Or-"

"Sau'Nak!" Kahet's sharp voice came through his personal com-link. Sau'Nak opened the line and raised his hand to silence Leitjin as he stood up cautiously.

"Yes, what is it?" he answered quickly and wondered what made his cousin speak so loudly.

"Oomans in the vicinity!" his voice yelled and broke off slightly as scratchy static entered the line. "They've. . .tracking us since the city. . .Take Leitjin and go!"

"What about you?" he demanded instantly and scanned the area again but spotted nothing out of the ordinary.

"We'll act as decoys since Aru'Dre and I can see them" Kahet ordered sternly as the line cleared and wasted no time giving out his orders. "I don't know if they're heading your way but move now!"

"Affirmative" he said with a nod and motioned for Leitjin to stand quickly. "Contact me if-"

He felt Leitjin yank his arm as he moved to the other side of the tree to hide behind it. The connection between he and Kahet broke off and he punched in the dials to resume their conversation but nothing, only static was received. Looking around the area, he saw nothing and glanced at Leitjin to question his sudden actions.

"Oomans, I spotted them" Leitjin said quietly and pointed to the forested area next to the clearing. "They're not far but I can see them. I can't pick up their infrared signatures-"

"They're blocking it" Sau'Nak hissed in realization, assessing the situation quickly and scolding himself for not using the other scanning views in his mask. He needed to escape now to avoid detection and informed Leitjin, "Kahet told me they're being chased and to return to the ship. Obviously, our presence here was detected easily. Come!"

"But Kahet-" he argued worriedly.

"Can look after himself" he growled sharply and pushed him forward to head back in the direction which they'd come. "He's buying us time so I suggest we use it."

Suddenly, the tree they were in was shot at with an explosive projectile, causing wood splinters to fly in every direction. Sau'Nak pushed Leitjin to hasten his pace, now was not the time to slow down or get sloppy. Using the trees, they jumped over the branches and hid behind the trunks to hide themselves from any incoming bullets or projectiles.

"Where do we go?" Leitjin asked quickly, focusing his mask on the human signatures. They weren't close in distance due to their quick speed but their weapons held good accuracy nonetheless if they remained in the open. He hid behind a tree and its thick leaves and pointed out, "Their weapons can obviously track us now and here we thought their technology wasn't worth anything!"

"We must find shelter, the ship is still far away from here" Sau'Nak told him and immediately conjured a plan in his head as his cousin awaited his orders. "We will use the trees first and if we can find a stream, we'll use it to cover our tracks as we travel upstream. We can't leave any physical tracks and we must be light and fast to avoid leaving a lingering heat signature. Oomans track us by heat and pheromones so we have to avoid them."

Leitjin nodded and followed his elder cousin as he heard weapons fire from a distance. He was nerve-wrecked over the new situation since he rarely came face-to-face with dangerous beings and if so, the others always took care of it. Now he was by himself with his cousin, who wasn't a perfect fighter like the hunters, in the unknown with armed humans. That would be perfect tale to regale his family with. . .if he lived. As he sailed through the treetops, his main worry wasn't himself but his brother, hoping for his safety. . .wherever he was.

XXXXXX

End of **Chapter 3**. Okay, this chapter was originally the largest one I'd ever written (25 pages) from any story so I broke it into two segments. You can read this first part first and wait for the next installment while you take a breather and will be up quick anyway since I haven't been updating recently. Medical reasons with my joints, I should slack off the computer but I'm too addicted to it.


	4. Close Encounters

CHAPTER 4:

**Close Encounters**

"What the hell was that?" Christina asked Bianca as they walked slowly over a dusty trail in the dense woods. She heard bullet sounds echo from her far left, the sound deafening through the trees as a cool gust of wind passed by. Furrowing her brows, she murmured suspiciously, "It sounded like shots."

"Do you think people are hunting here?" Bianca asked, worriedly. The group had separated into partners as Will and Marissa headed to view the other waterfalls of Yosemite and she'd stuck to the paths leading up to the mountains. They'd decided to meet up at the cabin by sundown to prepare dinner in time. She became nervous as she thought of possible danger looming close and felt goose bumps rise over her slender arms. Her brown eyes widened and she gasped, "What if we get shot on accident? We could die out here!"

"It's far from us so don't be dramatic" the blond said assuredly, patting her back confidently as she resumed her pace. Bianca eyed the forest warily and followed her slowly in reluctance. Her cousin remained unnerved by it and went on, "I wonder if Mari and Will heard it. Knowing them, they'll be there in a second condemning the sport and trying to free the animals while asking for hunting permits."

The same sound echoed again making Bianca jump and cling to her cousin's arm as she let out a frightened whimper. Christina rolled her eyes but let her hang onto her for comfort as they kept walking the trail. It would take more than faraway gunfire to scare her off.

"Let's go back" Bianca whispered softly and tugged at her arm. The constant shots, which she was sure was gunfire, scared her like they would any person. She wanted to return to the cabin now and protested, "We should've never split up."

"As long as it's not a forest fire, we'll be fine" Christina assured her and tugged her along despite she dug her heels into the dirt to stop her pace. Bianca gave her a skeptic look to her naïve attitude towards the matter as she was yanked forward.

_How is she not scared by this?! No person has nerves of steel_, she thought.

"I'm pretty sure fire and bullets are in the same category of 'danger'!" she pointed out with a shrill voice that held an undertone of firmness. Her cousin glared at her skittish composure but she didn't back down as she pulled her arm to head back, "Unless you have bullet-proof skin that protects us both, we're leaving."

"Aren't you at least curious about what it is?" she asked quickly, wagging her eyebrows at her. She was sure the danger out there wasn't life threatening to her since she wasn't the one receiving it. Like her brother, she didn't mind a little danger as long as it secured her safety. "It's probably just a hunt. Let's go see."

"People who check out stuff like that usually end up dead" Bianca retorted quickly and yanked her older cousin away who was surprisingly stiff all of a sudden. She groaned mentally at her stubbornness but kept yanking her with all her strength despite her smaller size. How she hated her shortness when it came to dealing with tall people.

Hearing closer shots near their vicinity, the two jumped at once and were about to leave with mutual agreement when they heard a roar echo in the forest. It sounded hurt but there something distinctly odd about the common sound. The dark haired woman was now sure that there was something bad happening out there while the blond wondered where the hell was the park patrol.

"Was that a bear?" Bianca asked, confused. "It sounded weird. I don't know much on animals but I know what a bear sounds like."

"Yeah" her cousin nodded with the same puzzlement and began to drag her towards the sound unwillingly. Her curiosity had been stirred and she wanted to catch a glimpse of whatever was happening, deadly or not. "Let's go see what it is!"

"No! I don't want to see an animal be killed!" Bianca objected in horror and gasped at a sudden thought, "Wait! People can't hunt bears, can they? I'm sure about fish and deer but bears?"

"See? Now we have an excuse to go!" Christina declared brightly and headed uphill without her. Whether she came or not, she was going to the edge of the mountain path they were on to overlook below. She waved to Bianca to come and justified it for her hesitant view, "If it's against the law, we can totally bust them. I got a camera phone to catch them!"

"It probably won't zoom in right from this high up" she mumbled to herself but followed her cousin, despite her palms were sweating from fear. She didn't want to stay alone in the dark path where snakes probably lurked and scampered after her to be secure. The shaded edge made her careful in her step as she crunched the tall grass under her feet. Despite the danger, she felt better with company by her side. Worriedly, she asked, "What if we're caught?"

"We'll be super quiet" Christina assured and she was about to demand how that was any better than running away but she'd already reached the edge on her own. Bianca grumbled to herself about why she should've just gone with the others as she caught up to her. Their footsteps became quiet as they approached the edge and they hid behind the thick green bushes sticking to the rocky edge to stay hidden. The trees gave them shade to hide their peeking heads and Bianca scratched her left leg as her feet crushed the grass underneath as it grazed her ankles.

_I hope that wasn't poison ivy_, she thought nervously.

From above, they could see into the drop of the mountain below so it gave them a perfect view as the afternoon sun lit everything in sight. The two women gasped at the view from behind the bushes as the plain below cleared out any possible misinterpretations.

"That is definitely _not_ a bear" Christina breathed in surprise with wide eyes and blinked repeatedly to make sure her vision wasn't off. Damn, she _really_ shouldn't have looked. Suddenly, she wished she'd listened to Bianca and had left the whole topic alone. "Not anything that resembles a bear at all!"

"What are they?" Bianca mumbled quietly, knowing she wouldn't get an answer but posed the question.

On the forest floor, they could see three armored people being shot at while being shackled to the ground by others in suits. Bianca couldn't see if they were bullets or tranquilizers but didn't like either choice. Two were roaring and swiping at their attackers furiously while one was down and hopefully knocked out, not dead. The two women saw men in pristine black suits shouting orders to the others who wore puffy gray outfits, the restrainers of the beings. Both woman also saw unmoving bodies laying on the grass and hoped they hadn't stumbled into a murder scene. Bianca saw one of the two creatures reach out and crush the neck of one of his restrainers with one squeeze but was dragged down to the floor by one of the chains attached onto his arms.

"Those poor creatures, they need help" Bianca whispered to her cousin as the one who killed the man was finally brought down and most likely, tranquilized. Its movements seized slowly as the drug kicked in and his body collapsed onto the grass unconscious. She could see that despite their similar armor color, their skin tones were different. Skin tones that didn't match any that were human. She didn't get a good look on the first one but the one she'd seen right now was greenish. The other who was still fighting like hell on earth was a reddish tone. She turned to tell her cousin worriedly, "We should tell someone."

_There is something going on here_, she thought. _And I don't like it._

"That is one weird scene" Christina mumbled to herself and tried to comprehend what they were seeing. She saw the last one trying to fight off the rest of the men and was doing all right until a suit jabbed a small rod into his back which seemed to give off electricity. It didn't take effect until he was exposed to it for longer than a minute and the others came forth like hyenas to bring him down. She winced involuntarily and turned to Bianca as the scene became too eerie and pointed out sharply, "We're up here. How do we know that's not a film crew down there? We could be watching a movie being filmed that'll be in theaters next year and not know it! Look, it has renegade government types, weapons, and uh. . . whatever the heck those other creatures are."

"A movie?!" she demanded in disbelief but wasn't convinced by her assumption. She watched the tall being be taken down after his brave but lost fight and felt pity. Her eyes picked up green blood trailing from his exposed lower back and pointed out to make her see, "They're bleeding. Look!"

"Blood's faked in films all the time, most effects are" she stated firmly and Bianca unfortunately knew that was true but didn't choose to believe it. Christina saw her skeptic look and sighed exasperatedly to make sense of the scene, "It could be some amateur film too, people do this all the time just for popularity votes. Green blood, it looks like liquid from glow sticks, see? I could break one on my arm and I suddenly have alien blood. Yippee, no special effects! I'm looking at the rational side of this, all right. What are the odds that any of this is real?"

"It's the middle of nowhere! My point makes better sense" Bianca shot back as she looked down to see the three beings be thrown recklessly onto the back of a common white van. How convenient. Both women didn't relent to the others point but as she saw the van leave and others begin to depart into the woods after cleaning the leftover mess, she frowned, "That doesn't look like a movie, Christina. What kind of film crew has no gear and just picks up and leaves? Unless they have expensive satellites filming them, it doesn't make sense!"

"And if it is, what are we looking at, Bi?" she demanded snappishly and pulled at her short hair to try to think of any answers. The back of her mind scratched at her brother's crazy beliefs but she didn't want to bring it up. There had to be another answer and it had to concern the government. Who else would be out here? She stood up and kicked at the grass to mutter, "People don't see stuff like this and live to tell about it."

"They're not human" Bianca whispered and rubbed her hands together fearfully as she tried to gather a calm state of mind. Yet again, how could one think normally after witnessing a brutal event? Despite her fear on the topic, she believed it and made the most sense after every detail she'd seen. She motioned to her bare arm and spoke, "They had weird skin, with no similar color to human tones. They could roar, Chris, and they're taller than any person I've ever seen. And trust me, I've seen tall basketball players. Either they're hiding in these mountains or. . .I think Will's right, there's aliens in this forest. . .or were, if they just took all of them."

"Aliens? They could be some mutant experiment gone wrong or something" she justified and pursed her lips in denial of it. Aliens were a farfetched idea which she never believed and decided to believe a more believable concept, like mutants. You never heard much on that topic but it was rational compared to aliens! She shook her head and pointed in the direction of their abandoned path to order, "Either way, we have to find the others and tell them. We have to get out of this place if crazy shit like this is happening."

"What about them? They need our help" Bianca pleaded quickly and bit her nails. Sure, she was frightened by the close encounter with aliens but she was concerned for their safety and inhumane treatment. Yes, she would've wet her pants if she met them but it didn't mean she wanted them to die because she was too chicken. Christina's rational thought of leaving made sense but it sounded so cold to hear it. Her face turned to look over the empty clearing, the quiet area before her giving no evidence to what previously transpired. Her dark lashes covered her brown eyes as she said quietly, "They don't deserve that."

"Are you insane? If they're aliens, we should stay as far away as possible" the blond argued instantly and began to leave quietly to not unsettle or flutter any plants that might be under surveillance by anyone nearby. She wanted to return to the cabin, forget the incident, and start the car for the long drive home. She muttered under her breath bitterly, "Things like that should not exist."

"So you're saying we leave innocent beings to their doom just because they're different?!" Bianca demanded in shock and light anger towards her view. She followed after her, mindful of any tree roots sticking out and rocks, and fisted her hands as she exclaimed, "It's not right!"

"That's our government down there, Bianca, don't forget" Christina warned snappishly and crushed the grass under her right foot with a stomp to vent her irritation. She thought her cousin was insane for thinking about aiding beings they knew nothing about and were probably miles away already. Her concern was her own safety and her family's from anyone who'd cause harm, alien or human. She returned to her hiking pace as she headed back to their path and scoffed dryly, "They'd shoot us and ask questions later if we even got one step near those things! We're leaving now, Bianca."

"But. . ." she tried to reason but the older woman shook her head furiously and turned around to face her with a glare as she crossed her arms. Great, she faced the relentless amazon now.

_I both fear and respect her_, she thought meekly.

"Who says they're innocent, huh? For all we know, they're trying to harm our people or innocent bystanders and the feds stopped them for the better good" she said crossly as she rejected all of Bianca's theories and suggestions. The only people she would help would be her immediate family, not strangers. Besides, those 'aliens' seemed to have the better physiques to free themselves than two women against an army. She pointed out to her in a cold voice, "They looked like Spartan warriors so they're obviously not cuddly like E.T. I'm sure if you're right, which I'm not saying you are, then they can take care of themselves. We will stay out of this and leave this place, now come on."

"Fine, but I'm making a plan to go public with this when we get back to the cabin with Will, he'll believe me" Bianca mumbled bitterly and began to follow her down the dusty trail down the mountain. Despite what she'd just seen, her gut told her they weren't as evil as her cousin was depicting them. They were frightening but looks could always be deceiving. Right? Or was she a gullible woman by believing the best in everyone? She passed by Christina with her pace to say firmly, "And you can't stop me."

"Ah, Bi, why'd you have to toughen up now? I like it when you follow obediently" Christina groaned irritably and led the way back to their forest path despite Bianca's pace to outrun her. She wanted to get the hell out of there and be back in the safety of their cabin soon and never return to this place. This park had been giving her nightmarish scenarios since last night. With a growl, she blurted, "And why'd we pick this damn path? I told you camping was a bad idea. Next year, we're going to Las Vegas."

XXXXXX

"Leitjin, we must keep going" Sau'Nak encouraged firmly as he wrapped his arm around his cousin's waist to keep him steady. The two were running through the forest and had managed to throw off the humans for a while since they left the cold stream. However, he wasn't leaving it to chance by taking a rest stop when they were still in danger of getting caught.

His connection to Kahet, Bakuub, and Aru'Dre had been disconnected entirely and he could reach neither for over an hour already. If he didn't get an answer within two more hours, he would start worrying himself. But for now, he had the main task of keeping himself and his cousin safe from the humans. He'd never failed a mission and he wouldn't start now on this backwater planet. A while ago as the two were escaping by their tree route, the humans had managed to fire onto them and Leitjin had gotten his side injured from the one of the projectiles. Luckily, he'd dodged well before the incoming attack or he would've been heavily injured and possibly dead. Since the medic wasn't a disciplined warrior, his stamina didn't last as long as his other male companions. For that, Sau'Nak kept struggling to keep their pace fast but he knew Leitjin had to rest at one point or risk heavier bleeding.

"I'm getting tired and I left my tools on the ship" Leitjin grumbled with a light hiss in his throat as he held his bleeding side with a torn portion he'd taken from his tunic. His side stung every time he jumped over bushes but as long it didn't go numb, he'd be all right. He needed to stop and seal his injury as well as the other thin cuts his arms had sustained.

_Why am I so clumsy?_, he thought in self-pity while he ran. _I'm a grown adult and I can't climb trees correctly while my kin make it look as easy as breathing._

"How far is the ship?" he asked his cousin and brushed away his condescending thoughts. He needed to focus on something mentally to take away the pain and it wouldn't be his negative thinking.

"Still at a distance" he growled towards their bad luck and changed their course to head left instead to a more densely covered area of trees. Leitjin groaned as his foot almost slipped on a wobbly rock but managed to keep his pace. He wasn't going to risk falling and become infected with bacteria or slack in his pace, urging his body to keep going.

"Have. . .Has Kahet called?" Leitjin panted worriedly and turned his head in his direction for a few seconds. Sau'Nak had kept silent on any information about the others since they called in and that worried him. Was his brother safe? Was he injured? What about the others?

_I don't want anything happening to him_, he thought with a hint of fear despite his people's views on weakness. _He's my brother, my only brother._

"They're warriors, they can manage" Sau'Nak stated simply, not being much help to the anxious medic. As much as he wanted to assure him, they needed to focus on becoming safe. Yes, he was concerned for them but they weren't his top priority so his mind would be clear of them. He sighed roughly and lessened his aloof tone, "We must worry after ourselves first. Kahet assigned me to keep you safe and I will."

_Leitjin needs to learn to disassociate his mind and heart from dangerous situations_, he thought. _I should've never brought him here and kept him safe in his med bay._

"I'm not a child, Sau'Nak!" Leitjin exclaimed with a fierce growl and stopped running, letting go of him to walk over to a tree. Leaning his tense back against the trunk, he took a deep breath to give his body rest as he wiped away blood leaking from his cuts. The other male could only mentally wince and wonder how much it was hurting him with every step. He checked his side wound and found that it hadn't clotted yet. Hissing at the pain and situation, he looked to his cousin to yell, "We cannot leave them if they're in danger!"

"And how will you aid them? You're injured and I can't fight them alone" Sau'Nak pointed out sharply with his own challenging growl. He backed down as the pilot towered over him and stated, "We are outnumbered and must escape, that is our logical plan for survival. Those oomans will not stop searching, especially since they know you and I have fled. If they find your blood, that will only invigorate their search since they know we can be injured by their weapons."

"We need to rest though" Leitjin suggested, trying to compromise with his cousin's plan. He rested his head against the rough tree bark and spoke with a tired rattle, "My blood cannot clot as fast as yours and I tire much quicker than you."

"If we stay here, we will be prey for them!" he stated coldly and shook his head negatively as he watched the tree lines for any sign of movement. Every wasted minute counted against them and he spoke with an apologetic tone to his wounded relative, "We must keep moving, there is no shelter out here for us. The trees are no longer safe-"

"The homes!" Leitjin interrupted with a quick thought and pointed between the outlying trees. Breathing raggedly, he informed, "There's homes scattered in this forest. I. . .I saw them while we landed yesterday. If we can find one. . .we can hide-"

"What if oomans inhabit them? We'll be in even more trouble!" he snapped, rejecting the outlandish idea. He was sure the homes would be inhabited and he would not be interacting with any aliens. The move was a security risk that could backfire in a fatal result. "It is out of the question and I won't risk our lives."

"Scan them before we enter" Leitjin said softly and folded his bloody cloth in his pocket to hide it and ripped another part of his tunic to place it on his bleeding gash. The muscle movement stung his arms and he felt the smaller cuts reopen again and he hissed slightly. His cousin watched him quietly and he continued in small sentences, "We can hide there for a bit. Regain our energy. Contact Eshin'Ga and Shadow."

"Leitjin. . ." Sau'Nak hesitated, looking nervously at his wounded cousin. He needed to get him somewhere safe so he could fix his wounds before he passed out. Only the strongest warriors survived hunts against humans and the medic was a civilian, he stood no chance if his injuries weren't sealed. His hybrid body would be more sensitive to pain and infection, and for a moment wondered on Kahet's and Aru'Dre's present condition. Who knew what airborne bacteria could enter his system and render him useless? Leitjin's idea was too risky but he didn't know what else to do.

_If we hide in the trees and rest, the oomans will spot us easily_, he thought rationally. _Their technology has advanced over the years. And if we somehow find a place to hide, we can rest and possibly- a big possibly- evade the oomans._

"I will scan the homes then" Sau'Nak agreed desperately and grabbed Leitjin to support him. The two began to steadily jog while he zoomed in a larger portion of the forest in the hopes of finding something close. He kept his hold on the medic tightly and growled, "For your sake, I hope you're right about this."

"Anything?" Leitjin asked, hopeful. His side stung when he breathed deeply as he ran and felt worse when he spoke.

"Nothing but I'll keep trying" he answered him quietly. Silently, he hoped they were near any empty human dwellings he could break into. As he kept their pace, he assured his cousin continually, "Don't worry, Leitjin."

The two males ran through the forest for endless minutes, though it felt like miserable hours to Leitjin. For once, he didn't want to stay around and explore but escape to the confines of their safe ship. His first sense of danger didn't excite him at all as it did some yautja and he cursed himself for secretly wanting to experience it just to share that common surge. From now on, he'd stay in the safe zones and hear the tales instead. He stared straight ahead while he followed Sau'Nak in his sense of direction, making his legs obey whatever change of movement occurred.

"I have something and it's empty! Finally!" he heard Sau'Nak call out and felt relief flow through his body. "I'm heading there now, hold on."

Leitjin simply nodded and let his cousin lead him to the location of the dwelling. It was almost a fifteen minute run before a small home came into view. Sau'Nak looked to his right to see Leitjin's head drooping down onto his shoulder so he sped up their pace instantly. He didn't want the younger male slipping into unconsciousness while injured, he had no idea on how to fix a serious injury and only knew basic treatment. When he finally approached the home, he looked at the small doorway that didn't budge once he stepped up to it. Obviously, it wasn't like theirs back home which were by motion sensors so he simply grabbed the round metal handle. He pulled it but it didn't budge so he pushed it hard in the opposite direction and it opened under his strength.

Pulling an exhausted Leitjin inside, he slammed the door closed uncaringly and looked for an area to lay down his cousin. He recognized an object similar to a settee of his kind in the middle of the home and placed him there. Breathing in relief that it didn't break to his weight, he stood up to grab a blanket that lay crumpled on the couch and touched the fiber to be sure it was usable to dab a wound. Folding it, he grabbed Leitjin's rag from his loose grip and looked at the wound. It wasn't too deep but it need to be cauterized by their medicine to heal it. Blood continued to flow as pieces of brown flesh stuck out to show the inner tissue under the epidermis. Sau'Nak placed the clean cloth over it to soak up the excess blood and kneeled on the floor.

"Stay here, I need to find items to mix the medicine with" Sau'Nak said as he unhooked his personal med kit from his back. He pointed to him in warning, "Don't move and keep the mask on, you'll need our air."

"I hate that medicine" he grumbled weakly and clicked his mandibles distastefully at the blue medicine, the easiest but last resort to close a wound. He groaned and mumbled, "I should've brought my own kit."

"It's your only choice unless you want to risk infection" the older male pointed out coldly as he pried it open on a low table next to the couch, perfect for his kneeled position. "You're on a different planet, you don't know what harmful pathogens exist here."

"I'm the medic, I'm supposed to order and inform you" Leitjin complained lightly, chuckling softly at his joke. He quieted when a sharp pain shot up to his ribs.

"Just hold on, Leit" Sau'Nak said in a softer tone and stood up.

He walked around the small home and scanned anything useful for their medicine. Spotting a water dispenser with a cooking counter attached, he walked over to it and saw the bonding material which used a similar powder in their medicine. He tore the wooden counter apart with his hands and scraped off the dusty material with his sharp claws, digging into it to obtain the right amount. He grabbed a fistful he gathered and ran over to deposit it into the metal bowl, then quickly mixed in the ingredients from the different vials as his dusty fingers pried the lids off. He mixed the powder material in the mixture as it solidified and added a final vial of liquid to make it react into the wet paste used for wounds. After making sure it was mixed perfectly despite the fire effects, he turned to Leitjin and saw him cleaning his wound with the blanket.

"Lay back, I can do it" Sau'Nak ordered gently and pushed the objecting Leitjin back into his resting position. "Save your energy."

"You sound like Uncle Ani-De" he trilled softly in a joke and waited for the medicine. He hated being the patient now, especially because of the medicine. How he hated that blue goop.

Sau'Nak dabbed some of the paste onto the metal applicator and looked at Leitjin to say, "Take a deep breath if you're squeamish."

"I'm not-" he began bravely but Sau'Nak put the paste over the center of his gash where the tissue could be seen. Leitjin tightened his mandibles to stop himself from screaming and managed to growl loudly while muttering all known curses at his cousin in the languages he knew. His claws tore into the couch by his sides and the fabric ripped instantly under them as the medicine was applied over the entire wounded area. His growls rose every time he applied the burning medicine that brought more excruciating pain than the wound itself.

"I apologize, I decided to make you less tense and go for it" Sau'Nak said softly as he finished minutes later after applying it to his arms and patted his cousin's masked face. Leitjin grunted weakly but understood his reasoning. He gurgled incomprehensive sounds and the pilot asked lightly, "Feel better?"

"I'll tell you once I can feel the right side of my body again" he muttered hoarsely and sighed softly as he felt the pain begin to subside. He looked up to his cousin and asked, "Are you injured?"

"I'm fine, you're the one who needs aid" his cousin chuckled in assurance and patted his covered head again. His vision scanned over the room as he sat down on the wooden floor to relax. He pointed to the broken counter and informed curiously, "The water is suitable to drink here so I'll go see how I can operate that water dispenser properly."

"Don't break it or else we'll get charged with a broken dwelling by the planet" Leitjin said sarcastically, knowing his cousin's thirst for knowledge of all forms. He closed his eyes as he began to feel drowsy. He mumbled softly, "And we'll be soaked and I didn't bring rust-proof armor."

"I think a broken object is the least of our worries" Sau'Nak said, managing a small smile despite their situation. He stretched his arms to pop his bones and joked lightly, "Next time, you can use armor that covers your entire torso to make sure you don't get hurt again."

"Next time? Maybe in fifty years" Leitjin chuckled softly and hoped he wouldn't find himself in that situation again. "I'm not made for this lifestyle."

"Experience is all you need, everyone gets hurt in their lifetime" the other male advised as he stood up to head to the counter. Leitjin relaxed on the couch to catch a nap but Sau'Nak stopped trying to work the water dispenser when he heard a difference in the sounds from the forest. His hearing picked up human voices outside the home so he quickly ordered, "Hide! Oomans!"

"Hide where?! There's nothing bigger than us here, their homes are tiny!" Leitjin blurted in panic as he snapped himself awake from his sleepy state. He tried to sit up but pain shot up his side and he fell back against the couch again. He growled from the throbbing pain to point out, "And I'm bed-ridden now!"

"Do you want to get caught? Then move!" he ordered sternly and looked around for an area to hide in but found nothing. The room was practically bare except for the settee, table, and a few chairs lying around. He cursed loudly in anger, "Damn it! There's isn't anything!"

"Curse our tall physiques!" Leitjin grumbled but trilled at his small joke. Sau'Nak growled in irritation and smacked his own head. He looked to the windows but found they were too small to fit their bodies for quick escape. Why did he listen to Leitjin? Straining to pick up the voices in his mask, the medic noticed the tones didn't sound threatening but. . .happy?

"There's two and they sound happy" he told his infuriated cousin who paced in front of him rapidly, trying to form a plan. He winced from his aggravated stance and almost smelled the fury seeping from him. Gently, he suggested, "Should we try to make contact? Maybe-"

"No! We must avoid that entirely! That is why we use cloaks!" Sau'Nak objected harshly and kept pacing. He could use his cloak but in close quarters, the humans could spot them. They were meant to be used in large environments suitable for camouflage, not a confined area. Pointing to the door while walking, he growled, "For all we know, they're plotting our demise!"

"They're laughing. . .about . . .Iron Man? What's 'Iron Man'?" Leitjin asked puzzled, looking up to his cousin for an answer. Sau'Nak stopped in his step and shook his shoulders making his tied dreads tap against his metal outfit. Both males had no clue.

Damn human nonsense.

"It's probably a weapon" he muttered spitefully and curled his hands into fists. The sound of the alien word made his mind work its neurons to their fullest to connect the word to the object of relevance. His feet stomped over the wooden floor as he growled, "A codeword for kill the aliens or a secret weapon. Whatever 'Iron Man' is, they're not touching me with it!"

"Then what do we do? If we run, they'll shoot us down" Leitjin said with a painful growl as he finally managed to sit up. He glanced down at his closed wound and sighed in relief. Sau'Nak kneeled down next to him and stuffed all of the medicinal tools into his kit and closed it. He tucked it onto his back as his cousin suggested, "If we hide, maybe they'll leave?"

"They're heading in! It's too late!" Sau'Nak snapped quickly and lifted Leitjin up with his arms. The medic groaned as he made him walk away from the couch to lead him behind it. He hated to rush the medic but they couldn't risk letting them see an inch of them. "Hide behind this thing."

"We can't fit, we're too damn big!" Leitjin yelled in annoyance and covered his masked face with his hand. "Oh no, I cursed! I'm not meant to curse at anyone!"

"Leitjin! Activate your cloak!" he barked angrily and led the nervous male behind the settee and made him sit on the floor with his help. He crouched and peeked over the side of the object with feline finesse as he unsheathed his wrist blades for any sign of threatening humans. He'd fight his way out with whatever strength he possessed but if they had weapons, he was screwed.

_Oomans, too weak to fight honorably_, he thought disgustedly.

The door creaked open in the silent room and he saw two figures enter. Wait a minute. . .they were two of the humans he spotted earlier today! One male and the other female. Were they threats? His scanners told him no. Should he kill them now and avoid questions? Hold them hostage and demand answers? Make a run for it? Or were they playing decoys and hiding the human militants?

_You're being irrational_, his calculative mind thought. _Wait until the first movement and then react._

He watched the two humans walk inside and the female gasped as she spotted the counter, "What happened to our sink?! Look at the couch! What happened here?"

Sau'Nak cringed at the leftover evidence as the humans walked over to the couch to examine it and he ducked behind it while seeing Leitjin tuck in his long copper legs to avoid being seen. Good thing they both learned the languages of this part of the planet or they would be lost. He prayed to Paya that they didn't search behind the couch as they walked around the room.

"Oh no, I am not paying for this!" the female shouted, looking over the damaged room. She walked up to her male partner and gasped fearfully, "Do you think it was a bear? We made sure to keep any scents out in the forest and not inside! Will the insurance cover this mess?"

"My blanket! What the. . .why's it green?" the male voice questioned in puzzlement as the yautja heard fabric rustling. He groaned at his wet blanket and threw it onto the floor, it was useless until they reached a washer in the city. "Did Chris paint my blanket as revenge? This isn't funny, I'm not about to sleep without a blanket and this couch is covered in the same color!"

"Your blanket?! Look at our cabin!" the female voice yelled angrily and Sau'Nak winced from the shrill sound as it pierced his ears. "Whatever did this could still be in here! It could even be a criminal!"

"The door was closed so it wasn't an animal" the other voice said thoughtfully as he checked the door carefully. He shook his head and pursed his lips, "Hmm, time to put my thinking cap on for this."

"This isn't funny, William!" she shouted and Sau'Nak heard a wall being kicked by small feet. Sounds of fumbling followed until she stated anxiously with raggedy breaths, trying not to hyperventilate, "I'm calling the forest service and the police!"

Leitjin poked Sau'Nak and made a motion towards the humans for interaction and he nodded grudgingly. They needed to be stopped before they could call in reinforcements and endanger both of them. Two humans would be easy pickings so he had no fear since his scans declared them non-hostile. Standing up in plain sight behind the couch as he uncloaked, Sau'Nak looked at the two humans in front of him who were barely two feet away on the other side of the couch.

"Stop now or risk execution!" he ordered in English as their eyes widened towards him in shock.

The male gaped at him in surprise while the human female screamed loudly into the air and hit him over the shoulder with a long stick that had a brush attached the bottom repeatedly. He groaned in surprise from the petty attack but the contraption broke in half against his tough build and she simply stared at her broken object in frozen stupor.

_Damn, I should've used the bat!_, she yelled in second thought.

"Is there a sci-fi camp or convention here that I don't know about?" the male blurted nervously with both shock and surprise to both the female and Sau'Nak.

_What's 'sci-fi'?_, Leitjin thought as he stayed hidden and hoped not to get hit as well. He'd had enough damage to last him a week. _I've never been so lost!_

XXXXXX

End of **Chapter 4**. And there's the second part to that misadventure. Hitting a Predator with a broom. . .not much help for anyone, is it? So my young stubborn hunters get themselves into a bit of trouble and humans deny and discover aliens. How will it all go? Find out next time. Thanks for reading as always to all my USA and international readers.


	5. Uneasy Alliances

CHAPTER 5:

**Uneasy Alliances  


* * *

**

"Cool costume, I bet he's a cosplayer lost in the woods" Will told Marissa absentmindedly, who looked as if she was going to have a heart attack as she gaped at the pilot's stature. He crossed his arms as he studied the outfit and asked curiously, "What exactly are you supposed to be? Cyrax from Mortal Kombat?"

"William, there's a stranger in our home! Get a bat or something!" Marissa screamed at him and pointed to Sau'Nak with a wavered but threatening voice, "Who or what are you?! Don't play with me, buddy!"

She glanced in evident fear at the male, well, he looked like a male to her from his physical anatomy. He was much taller at 6'11 and towered over her small frame of 5'4 while his reptilian skin was an odd blue. . .the color of sapphire. He was covered in an unknown metal of silver armor from his neck to his torso and it faded into a maroon color as it passed his waist to end at his knees. He carried weird gadgets on his wrists and waist that made him actually look like those cosplayers she'd seen but not to that extreme unless he paid good money for the costume. His face was covered with a sleek and high-cheeked silver mask with black optics while black hair-like dreads were tied in a ponytail. Was he a Jamaican based character? Whoever he was, he scared the daylights out of her but she wasn't about to run out of her home by this intruder!

"I'm asking the questions here, ooman!" he growled in annoyance and she jumped back by the fierce and guttural sound. What the hell were these humans talking about? Why was one oddly calm to his presence while the other was reacting normally?

_I never should've listened to Leitjin, I was stupid to think we wouldn't get caught_, he thought angrily. _I'm not going to let these two escape and run off to expose us._

"Hey, he's in character" Will said with an approval nod to her but winced at his cousin's furious glare. Okay, so this wasn't the time to ask the guy how much he paid for the cool getup. Clearing his throat, he asked politely, "Are you lost? Did you trash our cabin on purpose? If so, you owe us money, pal."

"What the hell are you babbling about?!" Sau'Nak yelled at the male and decided to question the frightened female instead. He pointed to her as she stepped back from his reach and stated, "You seem logical. Are you- Put the weapon down!"

Marissa had raised her leftover broom to hit him again in defense to his brusque questioning but he yanked it out of her grasp and threw it aside like a toothpick. She gulped and stared at the tall man, worried that he'd attack her for it. What the hell was he? Her eyes looked to his skin and noticed it seemed. . .well. . .alien!

_He could be a man in a costume_, she reasoned in thought but snapped out of it quickly. _Some take it to the extreme and don't break character. He can't be anything else but a person. . .right? Right?_

"Are you with the government?" he questioned her sharply and she furrowed her brows at the strange question. His patience ran thin at her silence and he demanded, "Answer, ooman!"

"No! I think they lie to us all the time!" she blurted out fearfully and then covered her mouth from shock. What if he was working for them undercover and she was being recorded? This whole scenario was giving her a headache already. Nervously, she squeaked, "Oh, you're not going to charge me for conspiracy, are you?"

"I'm not with your government, does it look like I am?" Sau'Nak hissed irritably, snorting afterwards at her. These humans were acting completely illogical to his questions! The female crossed her arms defiantly and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You could be and I'm probably being filmed as I speak" she reasoned simply and then glared, wanting answers for the intrusion, "Now you answer my question: Why are you in here? You're breaking and entering on rented property. _Our_ property."

"I'm not telling you a thing" he rattled crisply and she wished she still had her broken stick to beat him with. He was in her cabin and was threatening _her_? Oh no.

"Look asshole-" she snapped but stopped when she heard a scuttle coming from behind the couch.

Leitjin popped out painfully from behind into plain sight making her jump back in fright with a small shriek to the new unknown intruder. Glaring at Sau'Nak, she demanded, "Any other friends I should know about?!"

"I'm sorry but we needed to hide" Leitjin spoke to her in his friendly 'medic tone'. If the humans were peaceful, he could plead for refuge until they could leave. This interaction was dangerous but he couldn't think of anything else. Running would only open his wounds again and lead him into the hands of his brother's pursuers. Gently, he spoke to the two, "I was injured by your government a while ago and this was the only place we could find safety in. We would've kept going but I couldn't run from them anymore in my condition. We don't mean you any harm."

"You tried to take on the government?" Will asked, surprised at the person's dangerous encounter. Now the two strangers were picking up his curiosity instead of anger. He wasn't one to usually anger and left it to the others instead. Marissa stared at them suspiciously with a watchful eye as he smiled impressively, "No one's ever done that and lived!"

Will stared at the other stranger in complete awe. Where had these guys come from? Yes, he was defensive about why they were here but he wouldn't judge anyone until he knew every piece of information. The other man, his voice clearly depicting it was male, wore armor around his chest only but he saw that his skin was brown instead of the other who was blue and was much shorter at 6'5. They looked alike except for the skin tone and height.

_Who are they?_, he thought in wonder. He clasped Marissa's shoulder to calm her but the woman wasn't letting her defenses down to look like an idiot.

"They came to us, we were simply. . .exploring" Sau'Nak stated quietly, covering his tracks. He didn't want to give them any answers to their presence or even keep the conversation going. Damn it, they needed to leave! Why did Leitjin have to be so overly trusting of others? The humans could be playing them for fools as they spoke!

_They won't manipulate me though_, he thought firmly.

"In armor? This guy looks like a warrior rather than an explorer" Marissa scoffed skeptically and pointed to his weapon's belt. In a quick rush of bravery, she poked his bare arm firmly and felt the skin as scaly, thicker, but warm like hers. And real. Definitely real.

_Oh damn, this is too much_, she thought nervously. _Is he what I think he is? A monster? Mutant? Alien? Oh god._

"Don't touch me, you could harbor dangerous germs and pollute my skin with them!" Sau'Nak pointed out sharply and backed away cautiously in alarm. He rubbed at his arm with his palm and reminded himself to analyze a skin sample for possible infection. Who knows where this human had been before. He growled to himself as she wiped her own fingers on her sweater and hissed, "I've been touched by an ooman! I'll have to put myself in quarantine to make sure she didn't give me something contagious."

"You could carry viruses too so we'll both die, happy now?" she snapped from his loud insults to her personal hygiene and looked at Leitjin. He seemed more calmer than the blue male who she instantly disliked due to his arrogant tone. "You seem nice so I'll talk to you. What are you? You don't look human despite what my cousin here says and your friend's skin feels real."

"We. . .well. . .we're aliens" Leitjin said hesitantly, taking the plain approach. How else could he explain it? He knew nothing of their world! Will grinned at Marissa excitedly who silenced him instantly with a stern glare. The medic already knew his cousin's similar hidden glare from behind his mask for giving away the truth. He didn't see any other way and explained, "We came to visit for our first time and your government attacked us in the woods while I was exploring the forest. We didn't engage them and had no plan on doing so as they fired upon us and we came here to hide."

"What the hell did we just get into?" Marissa groaned to herself and Leitjin hid a sheepish smile. She dug her fingers into her scalp and sighed, "Aliens? Are you kidding me? This isn't funny, God."

"Did they follow you?" Will asked worriedly, walking over to look out the window from behind the blinds quickly and closed them. The sun was beginning to set so he knew the others would be coming soon to meet this new problem. He also hoped the government wouldn't knock down their door and arrest them. He ran a hand through his brown hair nervously and informed, "If they know you're aliens and in the park, they're not going to let you go."

"How do you know this?" Sau'Nak demanded from him suspiciously. Were the humans working with the militants like he first thought? He rattled his throat in warning but Leitjin hissed back to silence his skepticism.

"Its how it is here since the 1950s" Will explained with a shrug as he heard the two finish their hissing and raised a curious eyebrow. The pilot turned to listen impatiently while Leitjin picked up the tidbit of human history. He looked to the aliens and marveled that he of all people was actually standing before the real thing. The holy grail of all ufologists. With a shocked sigh, he went on, "People say it's true, some say aliens don't exist, and some say the government either hides it or makes it up. There's theories everywhere from all over the world! Humans study the universe trying to find physical evidence to prove or disprove it but no one ever has."

_Ooman civilians believe in us as well?_, Leitjin thought in surprise but pleased that maybe not all humans were bad as he and his friends originally thought.

"He's pro-alien" Marissa stated flatly to the stunned aliens and looked at each of them. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she intertwined her fingers nervously. There were two non-human beings in front of her, holding a conversation. Real aliens, she corrected herself. She took a deep breath to assure herself that she hadn't gone insane and blinked repeatedly to be sure. Yep, still there. She didn't know their full intentions so bravely, she asked, "So, you're here on the friendly approach or to conquer us?"

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already" Sau'Nak said coldly as he leaned down to snort at her. She narrowed her eyes, hating his condescending tone, and glared at him sharply. Alien or not, she wouldn't be pushed around and was about to tell him before the medic intervened.

"We're not here to harm you" Leitjin said truthfully and walked around slowly to sit on the couch. His injury stung as he sat down but it was much better than standing and shifting his weight onto it. Marissa saw him holding his right side and was able to see the scabbed injury as he gave a small sigh of pain.

_He's the one who's injured_, she thought as the bluish male turned to him in concern.

"You're the one who stained the blanket" she realized and looked to the strewn object on the floor. The green stain was from him. . .real blood. . .from a _real _alien. Looking at him, she exhaled shakily, "You guys are really real. There's an actual alien in front of me. Oh! I didn't mean to sound rude by calling you that, sorry."

"It's all right, oomans are. . .interesting" Leitjin said in understanding since he felt the same about their kind. She gave a small smile and picked up the blanket carefully to hide it under the couch, stuffing it underneath to make sure no one would find it. He watched her amusingly and soothed, "This must be a shock to anyone's system who hasn't seen an alien before them. But I won't harm you and neither will my comrade. We've been thrown into a situation together and I'm sorry I brought it to you."

"Why don't you relax on the couch and stay off your feet" Marissa said nervously to the medic and motioned for him to lay down on the couch. She looked at Sau'Nak and hesitated to speak to the cranky male, "I'm not a doctor so I don't know what I can do to make him feel better. Alien or not, he's hurt and it's better to have him healed than risk an infection. If you need something-"

"He needs to rest and besides, he's the doctor" he told her simply and Leitjin nodded softly to her. She stared in disbelief while her cousin noted to himself that aliens indeed had doctors and wondered what other common jobs they had.

"You've got to be kidding me" Marissa exhaled fretfully and sat on the coffee table in front of the couch to brush her hair back and closed her eyes for a few seconds to regulate her breathing. She watched the alien medic inspect his wound carefully while talking to his friend in a strange clicking dialect. Great, a language ruled by sounds. . .on the bright side, they knew English so that was good. She watched their interaction in amazement but snapped out of it once the taller one spoke to her.

"Do you have any sort of bandages for wounds like these?" he questioned firmly. My, this one was a serious one. Or maybe he was more concerned by his friend's condition. Either way, she wouldn't refuse help for the nice one.

"Will, could you look through Bianca's bag in her room?" she asked tiredly, looking to the right side. Will had the same look of wonderment she did towards both males but nodded and left. If there was anything Bianca always packed, it was a fool-proof first aid kit. The woman packed everything from gauze to painkiller injections to assure her nervous 'anything can happen' motto.

"He's not going to warn your government, is he?" Sau'Nak growled suspiciously to her as he watched the human male go into a different room further inside. He didn't want them out of his sight for a second to make sure they wouldn't double cross them.

"I'm helping you so be thankful" she snapped angrily, not liking his attitude. He may have been an alien from space but he had no mannerisms and they were ticking her off in this stressful situation. He hissed in return making her flinch but she continued, "Normal people would be running away in fear. So tell me, why shouldn't we? You're not human so what do we owe you? You barged in here and I don't know a damn thing about either of you!"

"We won't hurt you" Leitjin intervened quickly with a gentle tone to ease the angry woman. He didn't need his cousin to start fighting with their only means of aid and wrecking it. His tendency to never interact with aliens was starting to work against them. He caught her attention as she frowned at the pilot and he apologized on his behalf, "We're on edge since we're being tracked, especially him. It's rare that we speak to locals on other planets, you see. Also. . .we suspect three of our comrades have been captured so that doubles our worry while here."

"What will happen to them?" Marissa asked softly, hoping her government wouldn't go as far as harming an alien and risk retaliation by their species. It would be shameful that the first thing her people did to initiate contact was by killing the poor being and pissing off their whole planet. She bit her bottom lip from her nerves and sighed, "I don't know what our government would even do. Will probably does but I don't."

"Your kind likes to use us as experiments for study" Sau'Nak explained disgustedly and she glanced down at her feet shamefully. Her feeble look didn't affect his view against her people, especially if his companions were in harm. He knew that it wasn't the civilians fault directly but he wanted to take out his anger on someone. He growled and she looked up, startled towards the harsh sound, "They envy us and try to learn as much as possible from us. They seek our technology which is very highly advanced compared to yours as well as using our bodies, dead or alive, to further their intelligence on other species."

_Is he serious? They want to kill life in order to learn about it? What the hell kind of science were they taught?_, she thought in shock. _Yet again, they shoot first, ask questions later._

"What? But that would mean. . ." she trailed off and looked at him as she realized that his knowledge had to be based on fact. Fact relating to previous encounters between both species. She massaged her temples and questioned, "Has your kind been here before?"

"Yes, we are not the first from our clan or species" he said with a curt nod as she looked away in disbelief. She nodded to herself and stared at the medic, wondering how many beings similar to him had been on her planet before without the public knowing. Sau'Nak hissed to break away her concentration and stated, "We've been coming here since before oomans became civilized. Now, your kind wants us captured and tagged for their benefit. Oomans have always been disgustingly deceptive throughout their pitiful evolution."

"How do you know this? You could be lying!" she retorted in defense, not wanting to believe his dark words. Had her government really known this and kept the public in the dark for many years? After stating no such things as aliens existed? Her own beliefs literally crashed into her home so she couldn't turn it away. She glared at the pilot and hissed, "And we're not evil creatures! You already prance around like you own the place!"

"Our people don't lie and we have experts who know this first-hand" Leitjin said softly and raised his hand to silence the other male. Sau'Nak snorted and crossed his arms defiantly as he continued, "We did not mean to surprise you with these news but it's true. . .except for the xenophobic view. I don't judge everyone equally into one group or else I would be running from you too."

Will walked back in with a bloated blue backpack and gave it to Sau'Nak with an earnest smile, "You'll find what you need in here, my cousin packs in everything from sanitizer to painkillers. This is all we have for wounds but I hope it helps."

He took the bag once the human opened it for him and looked through it to find bandages in different sizes. Looking at the humans, his scanners told him they were being truthful so he would place his trust in them. . .for now. His mind would always remain on guard but he knew when politeness was required for selfless aid. Quietly, he spoke, "Thank you."

"No problem" Will said with a smile, waving it off. The pilot merely nodded and walked over to sit by Leitjin to sort through the bag. Marissa watched them apprehensively and he squeezed her shoulder to assure he'd keep her safe. She offered a weak smile as he asked them, "So how do you know English? I mean, unless you've studied us for a while, how'd you learn it? It's hard enough for people here to learn a second, much less, a third language."

"Explorers record languages of different planets and our kind can choose to learn them as they grow" Sau'Nak explained as he wrapped a piece of gauze over Leitjin's wound as the medic winced when he tightened it. He shushed his complaint as he went on, "We can learn much faster than your kind due to our brain size and function. I know ten universal languages so far, English is one. Leitjin knows 6, English and Spanish included. It varies on who knows it among our kind, it's only used for necessary purposes."

_I hope they stop asking questions_, he thought grimly. _I don't want to share my culture with oomans who can run off and tell others once we leave._

"Leitjin? That's your name?" Marissa asked curiously, glancing at the brown toned male. He nodded in return and trilled as she tried to pronounce it. She wanted to know the names of the aliens, no matter how strange they sounded to familiarize herself with them. She didn't particularly like the aura of peculiarity around them all and hoped they could get along since they intended to stay the night. "Did I say it right? Let-gin?"

"No, it's Lay-it-jeen" he smiled, stretching out each syllable to make her understand. The male got it quicker and she tried until the name was fluent in her speech. He chucked in amusement and motioned to her with his clawed fingers, "And yours?"

"I'm Marissa, this is my cousin, William" she said with a nervous smile, introducing themselves. Leitjin tried out the names while Sau'Nak mentally repeated them once for reference, not eager to join in their name game.

"No one calls me William, it's just Will" he groaned, making a sour face at his full name. Marissa laughed at his dislike of using his complete name while Leitjin wondered why humans didn't appreciate their names. Did it have a horrible meaning? In his society, names were based on the child's appearances or the intended future goals and children were proud to aim for that namesake.

He memorized the names to honor their help and Marissa looked up to ask the pilot, "What about you?"

"Sau'Nak" he grunted grudgingly. He didn't like being too open with strangers but if he had to. . .

_Only for Leitjin's sake_, he reminded rationally.

"You're going to have to pronounce that" she said confused, not catching the odd clicks in his name. She was surprised she understood them at all due to their non-verbal language.

"Too bad" he scoffed sourly and Leitjin smacked his arm from the side to make him lighten up. He growled and spit out, "Fine! It's Saw-oh, say it quick, and then Nawk."

"Weird" Will said, trying out the name.

"It's a perfectly normal name" Sau'Nak shot back, feeling slightly insulted. He'd been named after his father and maternal grandfather and wasn't ashamed to be descended from respectful males. Leitjin chuckled to his rough tone and patted his back with his left hand to ease his tension.

"Are you in severe pain, Leitjin?" Marissa asked the friendly male gently. She grabbed the backpack by the pilot's feet to fiddle through it as she said, "I don't know how our medicine would react with your system but we have some small pain blockers. I'm sure a wound that size is very painful."

"I can handle it" he said with a respectful nod, not trying to show his pain as he laid down on his back. He didn't want to go sleep either in case of anything. He gave a small yawn and sighed, "My body will heal but thank you for the offer."

"We never asked but what do you call yourselves?" she asked him curiously and gave the bag to the pilot who kept his watch on her for a few seconds before looking to the medic. What was he? A bodyguard? She smiled wittily at the idea but said, "I don't mean to pry but-"

"We are called yautja" Leitjin answered easily and fluffed a sleeping pillow on the couch's arm so he could rest his head on it. He kept his gaze on the wooden ceiling overhead and explained, "We live very far from here and visit once in a while, depending on the schedules. What are you two doing in this wilderness? I thought oomans would live in more open spaces."

"We're on a trip for our vacation, a rest period before we return to work" she replied and looked around her unkempt cabin, her face scrunching up when she saw the poor counter. She noticed Will was taking notes of their conversation with a nearby notepad, wishing he had his PDA with him instead of leaving it at home. "We live near the coast actually but came out here to explore and relax in the peaceful nature."

"And we ruined your home" he added in with embarrassment over their predicament. He was surprised the humans weren't yelling at him and had expected more. However, he found himself liking the duo so he apologized again, "We're very sorry but we were desperate, I hope you understand. We don't break into homes for no apparent reason unless it's important."

"It's all right, as long as you don't try to hurt us" she said, pointing to them to make sure her rule was clear. Leitjin nodded quickly and Sau'Nak snorted in derision. She frowned at him but smiled at Leitjin, "This is unbelievable. People actually exist out there in the heavens and out of billions of people, _we_ get to meet you."

"A lot of species actually" he told her making her smile wider and Will sat down next to her to continue his scribbled writing. Luckily, no one but him understood the sloppy unreadable notes so the government would be at a loss if they found them. Leitjin looked at the small notepad curiously and said, "Our people don't interact much with others, only for trade purposes. We keep to ourselves and don't meddle in the business of others. However, there are many worlds far beyond yours in endless galaxies. Your world is very primitive and far away from any life, maybe that's why your planet hasn't developed as fast as others. It mainly needs time to grow."

"And here were are, out of the loop and left to wonder" Will said wistfully, shaking his head. "People are traveling in space and we're stuck on this little rock of ours. Why wasn't I made into an alien? I want to live in the adventures of space."

"Will's an explorer" Marissa said to the others, rolling her eyes at his childish dreams. "He's what we call a free-spirit."

The four stayed quiet in the center of the room and studied each other to pass the time. Will wore a silly grin as he watched the yautja do anything, every movement or sound was exciting to him. Marissa, however, was still in shock and had no idea on what she would do. She hated being the rational one out of the two. Leitjin was hopeful for their safety among the two while Sau'Nak didn't want his life in the hands of humans who could easily turn on them.

"Will you let us stay here until we can leave safely?" Sau'Nak asked the humans, who snapped out of their reveries to look at him. He needed to make sure his first priority was secure so he could focus on Bakuub and the others. Leitjin made a sad chirp as he explained, "We need to rescue our friends if they are indeed trapped by your people."

"Um. . ." Marissa hesitated uncertainly. She hadn't thought that idea through. How long were they planning to stay? She didn't want the feds to arrest them for harboring aliens but she didn't want them to get captured like their friends either.

_Oh no, what'll happen when Bi and Chris see them?!_, she thought frantically. _There's no telling with Chris! She'll probably kick them out and drag us into the car to leave._

"Sure! Mi casa es su casa!" Will agreed happily making her gape at him for the impulsive decision.

"What did he say?" Sau'Nak asked tiredly to Leitjin in their native tongue. Despite knowing English, some words just plainly deadlocked his brain. His shoulders slumped as he exhaled, "He confuses me."

"We can stay" he informed quickly and thanked Will for his hospitality in English. Seeing Marissa fidget nervously, he asked, "If I make you uncomfortable, Marissa, we can-"

"It's not you, well, yes, I am a little nervous but that's normal after getting this shock" she babbled on and took a deep breath to calm herself. She reminded herself that they were people just like her so they could speak casually. How would she explain more arrivals? She could only hope they'd take it without bursting into an argument about safety. "The thing is. . .we have two other companions with us and they could arrive at any moment."

"More oomans?!" Sau'Nak groaned in his tongue and hissed heatedly about the other unknown humans. It was bad enough two knew about them but four?! He tapped his claws against his lightly armored thigh and murmured to the other, "It must've been those other two we saw with them."

"What's he growling about?" Marissa questioned suspiciously, making him hiss at her for her lack of respect. She didn't appreciate the sound and snapped, "Shut up, you big reptile!"

"He's muttering in our language, your ears pick it up as growls and clicks" Leitjin explained and gripped his cousin's shoulder tightly to make him calm down. Without sparing him a glance, he asked politely, "Will your friends let us stay? We'd keep to ourselves and out of your way to give you peace."

"One's easily terrified and the other one does the terrifying" she groaned, hanging her head in dismay at imagining the scene. She hoped Bianca wouldn't run off and Christina attempt to attack them. Running a hand through her brown hair, she sighed, "Oh man, I wish this was a dream."

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience we've put you in" Leitjin soothed softly and hoped his day would get better for both parties. He didn't want the humans to run away but he didn't want to get kicked out either without warning. In thought, he attempted another idea to them, "Is there another empty dwelling nearby? We could head there for better safety."

"No, it's summer and all of them are filled at this time" Will replied, shaking his head. Marissa nodded agreeably as he smiled, "We were lucky to schedule this one in time. I don't mind if you stay but I'm sure knowing you're aliens will scare the others. Maybe we could say they're actors from a nearby filming movie and want to stay here or cosplayers. I thought they weren't real at first."

"What's a 'cosplayer'?" Sau'Nak demanded, irritated by the unknown terms. He gripped his head to sulk and growled, "Your language completely perplexes me!"

Marissa ignored the snappy alien and shook her head to her cousin with a flat tone, "No, they won't believe that. People don't randomly pop out of the woods, we need something better."

_I doubt there is anything better to hide an alien's identity_, she thought anxiously. _What're we going to do?_

"Can you guys eat or drink anything?" Will asked curiously and looked to the cooler they had stashed in a nearby corner of the cabin. "We can offer you some of our beverages. There's also a small fridge with food but I don't know how your body would react to that."

"We'll play it safe with water for now, thank you" Leitjin said, dipping his head gratefully. "We haven't had time to study for suitable food. I wanted to find samples of medicinal herbs I'd heard of but things came up. . ." his voice trailed off before mumbling, "Explosive things."

"I like you, you're nice" Marissa said with a smile, chuckling to his friendly tone. She had no idea on anything about him besides his name and species, but he put her at ease. "You really do sound like a medic. . .well, earth medic."

"Thank you" he said, trilling softly to the compliment. At least he was making an alliance with the wary female while the male was easily compliant.

"How. . .Why do you wear masks?" Will asked, studying each of their distinct masks. The medic's was a simple sleek mask with a black visor while the pilot had carvings on both bottom sides of his mask but they were both silver in color. He was curious to see how their faces were in comparison to theirs and stated, "You look humanoid which is similar to what most people believe about extraterrestrials so. . ."

"I doubt they have huge heads, little noses, and big almond shaped eyes as dark as space" Marissa said with a small laugh as both males tilted their heads confused.

"He's probably thinking about the Raissh species" Sau'Nak said in English making her mouth widen in surprise that such a race could exist. He almost smiled at her childlike face. Almost. He wasn't about to get friendly with anyone beyond his species. Bluntly, he stated, "I was being honest."

"Now you opened a whole lot of questions for me" Will whined as he went to their cooler in the farthest right corner and grabbed a cool water bottle out. Going over to their broken countertop, he grabbed two styrofoam cups and filled them. He sighed loudly and exclaimed, "What will I do now with this wonderful new revelation? New planes of thought have opened for me and I'll question the stars for answers to the unknown!"

"Go rant in your room, Will" Marissa chuckled at his humor as he brought the cups over to the two aliens and handed them over. He sat down next to her to see how they'd drink and kept his notepad close. She shook her head at his enthusiasm and gave them a puzzled look to ask, "How will you drink?"

"By taking off our masks, of course" Sau'Nak scoffed haughtily, stating the obvious to the inferior woman. He trilled mockingly and asked, "You're not bright, are you? It's not surprising for one of your race."

"Why you son of a-" she yelled angrily and kicked his kneecap with her heel. He growled at her weak attack and was about to throw the water at her-

"Enough, Sau'Nak!" Leitjin spoke up with a firm voice that stopped him. He was becoming irritated by his cousin's cold attitude to the small humans and he needed to stop it before it worsened. Despite his age and rank, he stated, "She's helping us and your attitude is not helping our situation." Then switched to their native tongue, "Settle down before you start acting close-minded like Aru'Dre."

"That's an insult!" he hissed back and reluctantly nodded to the injured male. He hated to be in the wrong and have it pointed out. . .but he knew he was right. To Marissa, he grumbled in English, "I apologize, ooman."

"My name is Marissa, not ooman" she said crisply, narrowing her eyes. No way was she letting the insult about her intelligence fly away. She hated to have her intellect criticized by a chauvinistic male, an alien male no less, and spit out, "Yautja."

He growled at her words but Leitjin spoke instead, "Thank you very much for the water, Marissa and Will. I haven't had anything to drink since I left my ship and running for hours can parch one's throat."

"You're welcome, Leitjin" she said softly, giving him a sweet warm smile. However, she glared heatedly with a frown at Sau'Nak the next second.

He placed his cup down on the table and decided to teach the mouthy human a lesson. If she was like this, he could only wonder how their absent and angrier member would be like. Unlatching his mask from the sides, he felt the air decompress as his mask came off and his nose gently inhaled the air to accustom himself. It was heavier and drier than his own but he managed it through his lungs after a few seconds. Clicking his mandibles to stretch them, he looked at Marissa who gasped and stood up in fear instantly. He smirked as her hand knocked items off the table from her stunned reaction and gave a low growl to rile her into submission.

"That is so not what we thought aliens would look like!" she cried out and pointed at him in horror. Her nose wrinkled and she winced, "How. . .you look. . .there is no polite word to describe it."

Marissa stared in shock at the alien's real appearance behind the mask. She'd expected traces of human facial traits but he looked completely different. His forehead was wide and extended to the middle of his cranium where hair was absent unlike humans while his thick brow ridges held deep set and round ruby colored eyes below. His gaze alone scared her. Who had red eyes in this plane of the universe?! He held no nose whatsoever, his mouth was lipless and held sharp carnivorous teeth below the pinkish gums, while four crab-like mandibles with sharp white tusks moved around almost like fingers. He grunted at her bewildered expression and grabbed the cup of water to drink it normally as she would. She eventually looked away as Will studied the alien's face in awe.

"Hmm, if you look like that, how must we look?" Will grinned amicably to both of them while they glared at each other without blinking. "Play nice, you two. We're stuck here and it's better to get along."

"He started-" she began but heard the door pry open, followed by frantic footsteps.

"You won't believe what we just saw!" Bianca shouted as she ran inside and Christina lagged in from behind sluggishly. Her ponytail was a mess while her cheeks were reddened from running but she needed to tell her cousins. The other merely sauntered in with a casual stroll despite their previous encounter.

Marissa and Will tried to cover both aliens but failed miserably since Leitjin was sprawled over the couch and Sau'Nak was more than a foot taller, standing out like a sore thumb. Bianca stopped in her tracks and whimpered in alarm as her eyes widened. She was about to scream at seeing the similar creatures behind her cousins but Marissa ran over and covered her mouth to silence her. She struggled against the stronger woman as she pointed silently, her body freezing in fright to the confrontation with the tall beings. Christina, however, was another topic. She plowed her way between the two and pointed her finger in a stabbing motion to the yautja.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" she yelled from both shock and anger. She was in no mood to deal with strange visitors and would by no means invite them to stay. Looking from Marissa to the blue alien, she then noticed the disarrayed state of the cabin, "What did you do?! Have a frat party in here?! Is that why they look weird?!"

Marissa closed the door to lock it tightly and grabbed both women to a separate area while Will returned to asking the aliens curious questions and to ease them about his cousins. Christina glared at her while Bianca whimpered and tried to run off but the blond kept a tight hold on her arm. Her mind itched at the idea of aliens standing in the living room while Christina believed they were a bunch of weirdoes taking dress-up a little too far.

_It's not Halloween for another two months_, she thought angrily. _Some people just need to grow up._

"They needed help and I gave it to them" Marissa explained as simply as she could. "They were here before Will and I arrived and we thought they were burglars or something. They looked all weird in their getups. So-"

"You did this?!" Christina gasped loudly and then yelled to the aliens with a clutched fist, "Just because you're hurt doesn't mean you're not paying us and mooching off!"

Marissa yanked her attention back by saying, "They're aliens, Chris. Real friggin' aliens. I'm not talking about weird monsters of our world but X-Files aliens. Right in front of us!"

_With her attitude I'll die by either her or them, not a good choice_, she thought and bit her bottom lip.

"Oh. . .damn" the blond murmured and took a deep raggedy breath. Her mind remained in small denial as she tried to calm down and avoid looking at the ruined room. Letting out mental steam, she yelled out again without restraint, "Correction: Just because you're from another planet doesn't mean you're not paying us and mooching off!"

"Chris!" Marissa yelled in attention and sighed at her cousin's ferocious glare that locked onto her. Giving her an innocent look, she rambled on, "I kinda promised they could stay here until the brown one heals so they can go off and take down the government for hurting them. They promised not to ruin our cabin and keep to themselves."

"Marissa, they're-they're aliens! This is horrible!" Bianca whimpered and bit her bottom lip from fear, almost breaking the skin layer from the force. She watched the aliens from behind Christina and pulled at the end of her sweater's sleeves to relieve the sudden shock to her system. Her line of vision wanted to seek the door for an exit but she was being kept back by the older quarreling women.

_Forget what I said before, I want to leave!_, she thought frantically. _This is unreal!_

"Wait a minute!" Christina mumbled to herself as she gathered her rational thoughts and demanded an answer from the hunters, "Did you guys follow us from the woods?"

"What are you talking about?" Leitjin asked confused and decided to tread carefully with the fuming female. He'd never imagine himself fighting off a female but tall or not, they were a dangerous gender. Tilting his head to the side, he stated lightly, "We've never met or seen you."

"Eh. . .You haven't?" she asked, suddenly confused to the unexpected answer and scratched her head. She was damn sure she'd seen people like this in that clearing. She pointed a finger to shake at both of them, "But I saw three of you a while ago. . .Hmm. . .Now that you mention it, I never saw a blue guy there."

"Who's blue?" Sau'Nak asked, clueless to her snapping. The gibbering of these creatures were grinding both his nerves and ears. Leitjin sighed and shook his head, pitying his cousin for his irritability towards alien beings. In a sharp tone, the pilot demanded from the irate female, "You saw more of us, where?"

_Who does he think he is? Coming into my cabin and demanding answers?_, she thought angrily. _He's the alien in my place! I'm the boss, not E.T. on steroids here!_

"I'm not gonna say anything with that attitude" Christina scoffed rudely and turned around to ignore him completely for further humiliation. He growled sharply to her turned backside and looked at Marissa, who had suddenly gone quiet to decide which place to side with.

"I'm guessing she's the terror you spoke of, it suits her" he snorted arrogantly and noticed the taller woman's shoulders tense at the insult. Marissa smiled at him for once and was about to tell him to watch himself around her but Christina yanked her back with a firm tug.

"This isn't an alien hostel, this is dangerous! Almost downright insane!" she pointed out loudly as she narrowed her eyes at the brunette. She wasn't one for physical punishment but she was close to shaking her uncontrollably to make her see. She groaned exasperatedly and snapped, "Why didn't you think rationally? You're the smart one between you and Will! If I'd been here, I would've called the cops on them!"

"I did think, they needed help and I sincerely gave it. . .after a scream or two" Marissa said meekly and looked at her fingers to ward off another verbal assault. When the woman was furious, she avoided her evil eye to escape unharmed. Her eyes wandered to the medic and hoped both sides would agree to a mutual plan of sorts. She didn't want the injured male to get hurt but she didn't want to get arrested either. Still, the better conscience won over logic. She sighed and informed gently, "I couldn't kick them out, Leitjin's injured and I don't want him to get worse. He's nice."

"Lei-who? You gave them names?! Naming leads to attachment. Attachment leads to friendships we don't need!" Christina shouted through the room and pointed at them as if they weren't there and hearing nothing of the ongoing argument. Will hung his head in embarrassment to his alien guests and tried to shield himself between both in case she wanted to attack one. Leitjin tried to scoot closer to the couch and fuse with it to escape the noise while the pilot glared at her awful mannerisms. Marissa gave a small sentence about good will but her words were cut off by a blunt rebuttal, "If they needed help, you give them a first-aid kit and meds to send them on their way and say 'have a nice day'. That's what most people would do and it'd be enough."

"We have names, we're not pets, you insignificant ooman!" Sau'Nak growled offended at the fuming woman, who tore off her sweater and threw it at him in an angry fit.

"Shut up, I'm a mad woman and I have the floor!" she yelled with similar flaming fury and turned back to Marissa, ignoring him once again. The pilot tore his claws into the thin fabric and tore the cloth into tiny pieces, imagining it was her worthless corpse instead. Leitjin calmed him down as Will tried to keep the peace with both but it was hard to contain an infuriated yautja. Bianca decided to stay back against the wall nearby and stay in that refuge instead of both feuding groups. Christina then informed publicly, breaking away from her private conversation to say, "Look, I just saw a bunch of feds beat the crap out of guys like these! And they weren't easy to take down either, I saw a bunch of dead bodies on the floor too. So don't expect me to be fucking calm because it's not normal. And this asshole owes me a new Ralph Lauren sweater!"

Sau'Nak began to move and decided to put her in her rightful place but Leitjin grabbed him back by his uniform. With a peaceful but firm tone, he said, "Be nice."

Grabbing Marissa closer to hunch over together, the older woman whispered roughly as she tried not to yell, "What if they threatened you if you rejected them? For all you know, they could've killed you and Will for disagreeing or even seeing them. You can't trust everyone you see just because they're injured and in need of help, looks can be very deceiving. Especially if they're aliens with pumped up wrestler bodies!"

"I can hear you" Leitjin spoke up making both women look up startled as he decided to stop the endless arguing. Pointing to his head, he explained, "Good hearing. Anyway, I would never cause you bodily harm for nonsensical reasons. Your kin aided me and I am in your debt for it as well as my companion." The blue yautja then uttered a low hiss and he scolded, "Be polite. Most of all, I'm a medic and I can't legally hurt anyone unless I'm in imminent danger. Our laws also state innocent beings, especially children and females, cannot be harmed by one of us. So there."

"He's. . .he's a doctor" Will piped in helpfully to Christina, who's left eye was practically twitching.

"Oh, that makes everything better!" she exclaimed coldly and pointed to Sau'Nak with a heated glare. "And what's he? A top intergalactic business executive?!"

"I'm a private pilot, you whiny brat" Sau'Nak hissed furiously and stepped forward to tower over her thin form. He really was getting irritated by her behavior towards him, Leitjin, and even her own relatives. She really was worse than the brunette, who was now docile compared to her. His shoulders leaned forward to lower to her height and he growled in her face, "Your screeching voice is driving all of us to insanity so be quiet unless you want me to use non-violence and tie you upside down on a tree. Maybe the birds will peck at your sorry excuse of a carcass!"

"And you look like something a cat coughed up, you crab-faced mutant-" Christina shouted at him.

"Stop yelling! You're freaking me out!" Bianca shouted to all of them as she leaned against the wall, away from all of them. The group quieted and looked at her as she collapsed to the floor to sit on it tiredly. Grabbing her head while she drew up her knees to her chin, she cried, "This is not supposed to be happening. We came here to relax, not discover alien life and get into a mess like this. Peaceful or not, this is crazy and frightening, and fighting isn't making it better! We're all adults, why don't both sides start acting like it."

"She's right" Will sighed and gave his sister a small warning glance to quiet her. There was a time when he wouldn't care who she yelled at but this wasn't it. "Adults talk this out diplomatically instead of yelling like a couple of kids on who gets the playground."

He grabbed the shaking woman off the floor and into a hug as she cried onto his shoulder to pent out her fear. He grabbed a nearby wooden chair and helped her sit as she wiped her eyes. Becoming self-conscious to her shambled outlook, she turned away but Will gave her a few napkins from the coffee table so she could clean her face. She also made sure her chair was the furthest away from everyone to avoid verbal contact. Marissa glared at Christina, who finally gave up her arguing with gritted teeth, and walked over to Leitjin quietly. She pulled out a blanket from the med bag on the floor and gave it to him. He thanked her with a whisper to keep the silence intact and opened the blanket to wrap himself in it. Earth was slightly colder than his ship and hoped it wouldn't get worse during the night since his mesh would eventually need recharging.

"Leitjin's honest and I'm going to help him, he needs it" Marissa stated firmly and looked at Christina as she stood protectively before the alien. Yes, she was still scared like any person but she wouldn't show it and let it weaken her decision. The medic cocked his head in surprise to her agreement as the other woman crossed her arms as she went on, "If you want to head home and avoid this, fine, I'll understand your choice. But I won't let an injured person be picked at by our own power-hungry people while I have a choice to help. If I wanted to look the other way, I'd never have gotten into medicine. It's about helping people who need it and I won't ever discriminate about who receives it."

Christina stayed silent and kicked the side of the coffee table instead to pent out her last drops of anger. A few seconds after, she sighed and muttered, "Whatever, I'm taking a shower after this crappy day." Pointing to the aliens at the couch, she snapped, "And none of you better peep or it's the last thing you'll see." Then to Marissa, "You're giving me free psych therapy when this is all over." And finally to her brother, "And you, make Bianca some hot chocolate and. . .I'm going to ignore my destroyed countertop and continue on."

She walked away quietly and the entire group sighed in relief to the peaceful silence while Bianca dried her wet eyes and stared warily at the aliens. Sau'Nak looked to Marissa in disbelief and grunted distastefully.

"Is it normal for her to act as if this never happened and walk away?" he asked, feeling eerily confused about the situation. It was hard to disagree with his brethren at times about not initiating contact with aliens, this being a good example. She gave a small shrug as he questioned, "Do oomans do this after arguing? I don't want her reporting us to the authorities!"

_Oomans are insane!_, he thought personally.

"Don't worry, she avoids and represses" Will replied with a friendly smile and shrug. He sat on the coffee table and thanked god for surviving the meeting of both groups. He picked up an unopened water bottle and struggled with the cap as she explained, "She'll pent out her rage in the shower by singing and be calmer when she exits."

"She's insane" Sau'Nak stated simply and the other two males chuckled. "I'm being serious. She almost as bad as our females and that's before they're in heat."

"That's my sister, furious outdoors and ruthless in business" he agreed with a shrug and took a drink from his water bottle. However, Marissa grabbed it from his hand afterwards and poured Leitjin a cup of water to keep him hydrated. He closed his hand in outreach and complained, "Hey, give a man a warning next time. Don't be a Christina."

"That _thing_ is your sister?" the pilot asked in repulsion towards both temperaments of each individual. One was friendly and the other was. . .l'ulij-bpe. Mad. Crazy. Only his speech could name her. Will laughed at the question and nodded, wondering if he would place her on a 'beware' list.

"Thank you, Marissa" Leitjin said respectively to the female as he gave her the empty cup and curled into the blanket to stay warm. The climate actually was much cooler than his ship's and he made a mental note to conserve the climate-control power in his mesh. She nodded simply and gave it to Will, who complained about being the new servant and wanted to talk more to them, as he continued, "You aided me without knowing me and I won't forget it. It's uncommon to see those outside our clan, sometimes even in separate clan, defend complete strangers."

"It's okay, every species has to have the peacemaker" she said with a smile and crossed her arms to give the other yautja a grin, "It was kinda funny to see her eye twitching and yell at Sau'Nak for a change. Maybe now he'll be nicer." Said male growled and she gave him flipped him the finger as she continued, "Just ignore her though. She has her good and bad days. . .most are bad but the good ones come. . .sometimes."

"Marissa, she said she saw three others like us" he began hesitantly, hoping it was true and it could lead him to Kahet's whereabouts. Injured or not, he wouldn't leave his brother behind along with his friends. He tapped his claws against the red fabric of the blanket and stated, "I need to know about that."

"We did see them" Bianca spoke up quietly, alerting all four that she was still in the room. Both yautja males glanced at her directly making her shudder and she shivered under the silent gaze. The unmasked one scared her easily with its clicking mandibles so she decided to look at the masked one instead for better comfort. She took a small breath and gathered her courage to speak clearly, "Chris and I were hiking just north of here. We saw three beings get carried away in a vehicle by our government agents but I don't know where it went. We left before we could find out in order to stay safe."

"Did you see how they looked?" Leitjin asked calmly but inside he was bursting anxiously for answers. The humans were his best shot so he wouldn't be at ease until he knew every detail. "Armor color? Height? Skin tone?"

"Um. . .they had armor similar to yours. . .but better coverage" she said slowly, closing her eyes to recall the incident. The side of her lip turned into a small frown as she described them carefully, "They were taller than me, that's for sure. One had a skin tone like yours but darker, like chocolate-"

"Aru'Dre" Sau'Nak informed him in their tongue. Leitjin nodded once and kept listening. One of their own was indeed captured and both had no idea how to pursue their captors. "I told him to stop his eagerness and wait a day."

"The other was green and striped like a watermelon" she continued and he sighed, knowing it had to be his brother. Who else was green in his group? He'd no idea what a watermelon was and didn't ask. Her eyes opened and she pointed her finger into the air as she finished with a low tone, "And the last was red from what I could see. He was tough, he killed a man by just a yank on his throat. It was. . .frightening."

"That's Bakuub, all right" Sau'Nak nodded to him and hissed grimly in their language, "They must've overpowered them as they played their decoy roles for our escape. The other female stated that many oomans were present, alive and dead. So far, I've had no communication with them and I have to assume their technology is either dead or stolen."

"Do you think they're all right?" Leitjin asked softly, feeling powerless and vulnerable to the whole problem, his friends and his own. He was rarely separated from his brother over the years and was used to seeing him every day.

"I don't know, Leitjin" he sighed in reply and stayed quiet. Right now, he didn't know a damn about anything and he hated it. He hated not being in control of situations.

"Is something wrong?" Bianca spoke up gently and Leitjin turned his attention to her. She'd heard their strange interaction and saw their forms slump as they continued, assuming it wasn't good when compared to human body language. Despite their scary outlook, she felt humane concern for them as she did for any living being.

"Our companions have obviously been captured and we must rescue them" Sau'Nak stated simply in English and continued, "Once Leitjin's wound is safely closed, we will leave and continue our trek. We will be gone by daybreak for both our conveniences."

"What if those people are still out there?" Will asked them as he looked to Leitjin and doubted the alien could take on anyone hand-to-hand in his condition. Their plan would fail and he pointed out, "You'll be caught easily and join your friends."

"We have no choice, we cannot abandon our comrades" Sau'Nak stated and hissed softly at the male. He knew his choice was dangerous but he didn't want to spend his time among humans more than he had to. Besides, his companions needed them.

"You're breaking a law, Sau" Leitjin whispered in their tongue again. He hated the laws at this moment but reminded grimly, "Even I know that a trapped warrior must find honor by killing his captors and escaping himself, or activating his self-destruct bomb. Hunting groups do not wait for stragglers."

"Would you rather I abandon them?" he shot back in justification to his choice, rumbling his chest in irritation and exhaled roughly. "Our friend and kin?"

"No" he responded nonchalantly and turned his mandibles upwards into a smile, "I wanted to make sure I heard right the first time. You've never broken your beloved laws for anyone before."

"I'll find a loophole for just cause but it doesn't mean I like it" he stated simply with a grunt making Leitjin chuckle. He wasn't meant to be soft, even when regarding the laws to his own kin. Laws were equal for every yautja and no one was meant to be an exception. . .he would have to atone for his choice later on.

"Is that your language?" Bianca interrupted them with a soft tone but shy glance. She licked her lips to moisten her dry mouth to say nervously, "I mean, you can speak English so you must have a native tongue amongst your own. I always thought species would use words instead of sounds."

"Our language has both but sounds are mostly used in informal conversations" Leitjin said simply, answering her question and she nodded politely in thanks. It was almost like explaining the descriptions of diagnosed illnesses to curious children while he watched her. He regarded her cousins with his hand and informed, "I've answered some of those questions to Marissa and Will, who will gladly answer you. So tell me, what is your name, little one?"

"Am I really that short? I'm an adult" she mumbled to herself making Will laugh. She gave him a soft glare but looked back to Leitjin, "I'm Bianca. I'm their cousin, we're all family actually. I'm sorry if I acted in exaggeration but-"

"It's perfectly normal, I'd react the same if I found an alien roaming in my home" he justified calmly and she smiled gently in return to his assuring tone. He could see she was the youngest of the four and almost mistook her for an adolescent due to her height but remembered humans, especially females, were really a smaller species than theirs. He gave her a smile similar to theirs formed upon his mandibles and apologized, "I am sorry if we frightened you, Bianca."

"You're nice, I expected aliens to kinda . . .well. .-" she stumbled on in a nervous stutter as she tried to say her view regarding aliens.

"She expected them to yank her into space and probe her, it's the popular belief here on Earth" Marissa spoke up, finishing it for her meek cousin who nodded. Furrowing her brows, she crossed her arms and said thoughtfully, "I kind of thought that too at first but I saw no ship to collect us unless dragging was your style."

"Probe?!" Sau'Nak blurted out disgustedly, despite his calm demeanor. What did these oomans think of other aliens? That they had no time except to prod others and humiliate their own species by consorting to such behaviors? How disgusting. He could only wonder what they would do when a species did make first hand contact with humans one day. He prayed to Paya it wouldn't be his. Clicking his mandibles softly, he sneered, "We have no need for that kind of experimentation. Our people are much more sophisticated than that to ever perform such. . .atrocities."

"Are you saying we're ugly? Because you're no prize pick either" Marissa defended against his condescending tone and he hissed at her. Leitjin laughed at the joke and Sau'Nak growled to himself about being better looking than any human on the planet.

_He can be as bad as Aru'Dre sometimes_, he thought and trilled softly.

"See? We have nice aliens that won't probe us in the butt" Will cheered with a grin, patting a paled faced Bianca on the head. She bit her bottom lip as he rationalized, "Not scary ones like 'War of the Worlds' that would obliterate us."

"Are all oomans as hospitable as you?" Sau'Nak asked the human, raising his brows slightly in curiosity. "It's. . .strange to us."

"Not everyone, but we try to help however we can" he answered kindly and nodded to the two women for agreement. "Right, ladies?"

"Yeah, well, except maybe Christina" Marissa chuckled and gave them an embarrassed look for all the arguing. She didn't want them to think her cousin was evil and didn't give a crap. Well, she may not give a crap but she knew Christina wasn't a bad person. She struggled for words as she managed to say, "That's just how she is, not just aliens, but everyone."

"We will leave as quickly as we can, we are sorry again for the inconvenience" Sau'Nak told her politely and looked at Leitjin, "We must find our comrades before anything happens to them."

"You can't just take on the government like that!" Will exclaimed and flung his arms around as he said, "They have guns and military people! How is one lightly armored guy and an injured medic going to survive against all of that? And that's just weaponry, you can't count out the hordes of reinforcements they could have. If they have your friends, they'll be heavily secured."

"You're finally making sense" Marissa muttered to him and he gave a noise of complaint. She ignored him and nodded to both yautja, "You need to rest and think of a better plan unless you want to end up as their captives as well. Running around for safety out there while wounded will only drain your energy and you'll have no chance for an escape plan. Once our government has something, they sink their claws into it and don't let go."

"Yep, just like oil drilling issues" Will agreed as he stood up from the table and grabbed a chair to relax in. His fingers tapped the wooden hand rest and he said with a grin, "I'll help you think of a plan."

"What?!" Marissa and Bianca exclaimed in shock to his suggestion.

"Great, now the oomans are involved" Sau'Nak growled in his language to the medic and crossed his arms to snap, "This is not what I wanted!"

XXXXXX

Christina walked out of the bathroom while drying her blond hair with a towel. She had changed into her sleeping pajamas and hoped she'd be able to get some sleep. If she could sleep with those things next door to her. Closing her eyes as she entered the main room, she whispered to herself, "No alien encounters happened. I just hit my head and ended up here. There's no aliens here. Aliens are fiction and therefore, cannot exist. . .unless I've gone insane."

Opening her eyes, she saw her cousins talking with the two beings in the same spot as before. When the hell was it okay for aliens and humans to chat casually as if they'd just come over for a dinner party? Damn it! This was not supposed to even be conceivable. Stuff like this was usually made up by people who had nothing better to do, in her point of view. Now, she was in that category!

"Man, why couldn't we have gotten a serial killer instead?" she grumbled morosely and looked at the brown ceiling to plead, "At least that's normal by my standards. We could've run and called the cops for that. But this. . .I'm gonna go to the nut house."

"Are you still whining?" Will called over to his twin, who narrowed her eyes and looked ready to maul anything in her path. He pointed to a plate of hot food on the coffee table and grinned, "We made dinner."

"It's not Spam and scrambled eggs, is it? I don't need high cholesterol by eating your menu" she demanded with a groan, scrunching up her nose in displeasure. Great, a greasy meal and ugly aliens, what a night.

"If you don't like it, I'll give it to the yautja who'll enjoy it way better than you" he scolded in a parenting tone as he handed Bianca a plate of food. She happily dug into it and he pointed to Leitjin, who was learning to use a fork by stabbing his food, "And their manners are better too."

"How long are they staying? This is creepy" she questioned in a hushed whisper as she walked over to where Bianca, the rational one in her view, was eating quietly. She watched all three and asked bluntly, "Why is no one freaking out about this whole thing?"

"I did when I first saw them, I smacked him with a broom and Bianca. . .well, you saw" Marissa pointed out with a shrug and swallowed her food as she glanced at Sau'Nak shyly, "Sorry about that."

"It was a natural reaction for anyone but don't do it again" he dismissed simply and sniffed the food he was eating before taking a bite. He liked the meat, despite it was cooked, and the semi-solid side tasted too bland for his taste. Still, it was food and they hadn't eaten in almost two days.

_And I don't seem allergic to it so it passes_, he thought in justification.

"Are you going to eat or not? The aliens won't eat you so sit!" Will pointed out with slight aggravation towards his sister and hoped he could eat his meal without another argument blowing in. She glared at his order and took a seat farthest away from the group, pushing it near Bianca's vicinity to stay near an ally.

"You don't know that" she shot back skeptically and yanked the plastic plate from his hand to set it down in her lap. She stabbed at her scrambled eggs and took a bite to fill her empty stomach. If she had to run for her life later on, she would have the energy for it. The hot eggs singed her tongue and her eyes watered slightly but she muffled a groan and swallowed the food as she cursed mentally. She eyed the doorway and asked her calm twin, "What if the government busts our door down later on at night? We'll be thrown in jail or worse, dead."

_I'm not about to get arrested for aiding and abetting aliens_, she thought.

"Then we'll run away to Canada with a full stomach during the night. Better? I hear Alberta's quite nice and British Columbia is to die for" Will stated with a cheery smile, sitting down next to Marissa on the coffee table to eat his food. He held the plate under his nose and took a long whiff to incite his senses, "Hmm. I'm starving, all that hiking today made me hungry."

"You were eating the entire way" Marissa chuckled softly at his appetite and ate a piece of her eggs. After the day she'd had, she was glad to settle down and eat a normal meal. . .despite the present guests. Luckily, everyone had lightened up after their first encounter and were acting civilly towards each other.

"This is the weirdest dinner of my life" Christina muttered and bit into her eggs.

Hearing a ding near the countertop, Bianca hopped up and placed her food down in her chair. She walked over to their microwave, well, the park's microwave, and popped open the white door to grab out a small soup bowl. Grabbing a spoon from the storage drawer below, she returned and walked over to Leitjin to sit down by his side. He'd taken off his mask to eat so she was timid around them due to their fearsome physiques. However, this one made her more calmer than his partner once he smiled.

Giving him the bowl, she said encouragingly, "Soup can help the healing process and I put in some meds that may help your system. It's an average dosage for humans and with your height and weight, I doubt there's a danger unless you're allergic. I'm not a doctor, but I'm studying as a nurse so I hope it helps."

"Bianca, not you!" Christina called out instantly as she watched their interaction and grumbled, "They must've dragged her to their side while I was showering. Damn, good strategy move."

"Marissa is right" Bianca said softly without looking her way and popped a thermometer into Leitjin's mouth for his temperature. The medic stared at the strange object and groaned when he became cross-eyed, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. Sau'Nak scoffed lightly at his action and told him to stop his curiosity and not to bite the thermometer. Bianca spoke over his unknown clicks and stated, "He needs our help and that's what I chose to do when I finished high school. I'm a nurse so I won't let someone die on my watch if I can help. Alien or not. If he was a human murderer, would it be any better for you? Would it be safer to have a convict than a peaceful alien?"

"Arggh, fine" she muttered and leaned her head back against the chair to speak sarcastically, "When you put it that way, of course it sounds okay!"

"Thank you, Bianca" Leitjin said appreciatively, holding the small bowl in his large hands. She pulled out the thermometer and checked his temperature at normal, according to yautja stats. He wondered what else the field of human medicine used in equipment but it wasn't the time for it. Purring softly to ease the shy female, he assured, "You don't have to do this if I frighten you, I'm sure Marissa can handle it or I can do it with the right tools. I can't help my physical appearance but I won't scare you to death or kill you."

"I. . .I want to help and I can do it" she stuttered nervously and sucked down her obviously seen nervous disposition. He wasn't there to hurt her and she had to accept it. She kept repeating the word 'nice' in her head and blushed lightly to speak, "I scare easily anyway so don't take it personally. It's how I am with newcomers."

"It's true, just yesterday she was scared of the word 'alien' and made sure we shut up about it" Will spoke up in agreement with a chuckle. Marissa nudged his side to spare Bianca some embarrassment, making him swallow his food quickly in one gulp. He groaned afterwards and pushed her shoulder lightly, "Don't make me choke now, Mari. I finally received a teenage wish and found aliens to talk with."

"William" Bianca said stiffly, waving one hand at him to make him shut up before he blurted any more goofy tales about her. Brushing a strand of her long hair behind her ear, she told Leitjin, "I hope you like it."

She stood up and went to sit back in her seat without a word to go back to finishing her warm food. Leitjin smiled and held a small respect for the timid female for being courageous enough to help him despite her previous scared demeanor. He looked to Christina to say, "I do not wish to aggravate you further, Christina, but I hope we can be civil to one another. I mean you no harm or wish to upset you."

Christina stared blankly at his address and then sighed deeply. For an intimidating looking alien, he sure was nice compared to the cold blue one. She hated nice people, they made her give in easily to their innocence and loved blunt people because she loved to hate them. She frowned with a pout and said roughly, "It's not you, it's this situation that pisses me off. If you were just here for a visit, I'd let you run off with Will without argument."

Leitjin nodded in relief to her calm tone as Will blurted, "You'd let me be kidnapped by aliens?!"

"You just said it was your teenage dream!" she shot back and smirked at him, "I wouldn't stand in your way and they'd take you off my hands. Too bad your childhood nightmare of zombies eating you alive didn't come true."

"Hey! I'm eating here and zombies scare the shit out of me" Marissa shuddered and looked at Sau'Nak, "I'd rather take big and cranky looking for revenge here than that."

"And about that, I got our getaway vehicle: mine" Will told Leitjin in eager haste as he set his finished plate onto the table and continued without stopping, "Unless your friends are super heavy to sink it, I think we can use the truck to seat them in the back. I don't think the front is big enough to fit any of you."

"Wait! What the hell are you talking about?!" Christina demanded before the other male could answer. Will looked over innocently and realized all three women were turned to him with blanched faces. The blond beat their parted mouths that were ready to speak and snapped harshly, "Planning to rob a bank now or something?! What getaway car?!"

"The one for rescuing his friends?" Will answered innocently and gave her a smile, which did nothing to faze the stern gleam in her narrowed eyes. The woman's eyes practically turned to steel as he broke eye contact and he insisted on helping the aliens, "You can't take on the government without a getaway vehicle. You'd just get captured again."

"And pray tell, who'll be the driver for this 'rescue'?" she grilled angrily as her hands clutched her plate tightly and threatened to break the plastic circle in half. Sometimes, she wanted to slam her brother around to give him some sense and not have him make stupid and thoughtless decisions. Why was he so interested in helping aliens? Alien strangers, no less!

"Haven't gotten there yet" he replied in a personal letdown and shrugged it off to return to his optimistic mood. His sister radiated boiling irritation as he went on further about his plan, "We're still on how to break them out. We got a crowbar in case they're stuck in a room or cage and I don't know how to pick a lock. Maybe they can fiddle with it?"

"We're not going anywhere, we came here to camp and that's what we're going to do!" she barked in an order, not caring what the aliens thought of her opinion. Had the world gone insane now? She pointed her fork at him and stabbed at the air as she hissed, "I did not sign up for anything about being an alien nursemaid or to take on the government to save aliens. I'm 26, I'm not looking for a death wish, pal! If I want fun, I'll take tequila shots not gun shots!"

"But they're innocent bystanders in this" he persisted as Leitjin watched the human curiously about his choice to aid him instead of siding with his own blood relation. "We'll be the first rebels fighting for intergalactic freedom! Besides, I can't just walk away knowing that there's sentient beings being prodded like pieces of meat just for the sake of egotistical scientists. My integrity for the greater good tells me to do this so you don't own my choice or else you'd be going against the U.S. Constitution."

"Did he just say something intelligent for a change?" Bianca asked out loud to nobody particular.

"Obviously, I got the brains out of us both when our brains formed inside the womb" Christina mumbled aggravated and glared at him again with a skeptical face, "Who's to say they're all innocent? Look at them, they don't need a gun to kill a guy! Their whole physique screams dominance! That blue one already pisses me off and I'm sure he'd kill me in a second if he didn't need my help!"

"Our kind does _not_ injure females of any kind" Sau'Nak pointed out bluntly and hissed in contempt, "I don't like you either, but it doesn't mean I'll kill you for it. And I don't need _your_ help!"

"See? Who's to say those other guys won't be prissy like him?" she continued and eyed him suspiciously causing the male to growl in irritation for the direct insult. Why was he the main one being offended? She grit her teeth at him and snapped, "Shut up, lion man, I'm talking here!" He flared his mandibles but she turned away to address her brother, ignoring him all over again, "Look, I saw them and they weren't cuddly or docile. They could be trying to gain our trust and kill us later. Knowing you, I'll end up being fed to the bears or your new 'pals' here can eat me instead."

"We don't eat oomans!" Sau'Nak snarled at her but knew he only spoke for his own behalf and his friends. Elsewhere, yautja were allowed to eat anything they hunted and turn them into exotic delicacies.

"And what of the government's actions?" Marissa questioned and interrupted her cousin's outburst. She was neutral on both points; Christina was right to not trust strangers easily, but she also sympathized with the injured Leitjin. Her legs crossed and she leaned her elbows on her knees as she asked simply, "Why were they here in Yosemite in the first place if they're so innocent? Why would they attack an unarmed person like Leitjin who is practically a civilian of his kind? Why not initiate verbal contact instead of attacking them? To me, that seems to be hostile behavior from our part and not peaceful tactics. "

"But. . .don't turn this around and side with them!" she exclaimed and slammed her plate down on the table next to Marissa and leaned down to come to eye level with her. In a whisper, she hissed, "We're involved and if we try to aid them, we'll end up dead! We're already deep in this shit just by being near them. I'm thinking about us, _our_ safety, not the stupid government or aliens!"

"And what do you think happens to those people who discover things like this?" Marissa asked tightly, raising an arched eyebrow. "We'll still be tracked down, regardless if we helped or not. The government is pretty private about this stuff and nothing escapes its clutches once it's known."

"Maybe if we tell the government, they'll let us slide?" Christina tried to reason but knew her cousin had brought on a good argument already. Damn debate classes. She wanted the aliens gone, whether on good or bad terms, yet everyone was siding with them! But she wasn't crazy enough to rat them out to the government. Less convinced with her own suggestion, she mumbled with a weak smile, "Try a bargain?"

"They're the government, they lie all the time!" she finished sharply and gave her cousin back her food, who grumbled a thank you but ate it. In her view, it was better to have her eat than argue. Also, she didn't want the aliens to distrust them and pinpoint the blond as a threat. It was best for both sides to come to a mutual agreement that would keep them safe. The government wasn't a friendly choice either due to their growing power and ongoing secretiveness to keep the public out of any national, business, and international affairs. She snorted at her personal views on them and said, "They'll cover their tracks, make us look loony publicly, and we'll disappear mysteriously or end up in an asylum. You never hear about people publicizing their abductions on worldwide media anymore and actually having it believed. They leave it alone after being shut up by the feds whether by a bribe or the barrel of a gun. I believe Leitjin and. . .well, I'm scared about going against our country but I'd like to help him. . ."

"This isn't your fight" Sau'Nak said to her as she hesitated. She stared in surprise as he continued, "You have no experience in battle and you could get injured despite your best intentions. Our laws prohibit alien interference and we're breaking our custom by being here with you. It is enough to have your hospitality but I won't risk the injuries or death of alien civilians."

"And here I thought you didn't like me" she said softly with a smile making Leitjin chuckle in return. The notion of Sau'Nak making friends with aliens made him cover his trills since the pilot rarely made outside acquaintances.

"It's her I don't like, you were right about it" Sau'Nak grunted blandly, pointing to Christina. She gave him the finger as payback and Marissa quickly grabbed her hand to yank it back down. The pilot blinked, puzzled by it, and asked, "What was that hand gesture?"

"You don't want to know" Bianca replied gently, trying to keep the peace. She didn't need her cousin getting into fistfights with aliens double her size. The cabin was already messy, they didn't need yautja body indentations in the wall and have to explain an intergalactic fight to the park patrol.

"Sau'Nak, you're right" Marissa spoke honestly, ignoring her fuming cousin. "I have no fighting experience, unless you count video games." Then grinned a sly smile he didn't like, "But you're on my planet now where your laws are completely void since you want to keep yourselves unnoticed. Here, we are free to act on our own accord. If we want to aid you, you'll have to go along-"

"If not, we'll still follow you" Will finished with a satisfied grin and patted Marissa's back, who received a firm glare from the pilot for her defiance. "Good one."

"See? She gave you a legal loophole" Leitjin piped in also with their language to convince his cousin.

"You're all crazy" Sau'Nak and Christina snorted in unison and then glared at each other heatedly, "Shut up!"

"Shush!" Bianca quieted them and pressed a finger against her lips to let the others speak.

"What can we do though?" Leitjin sighed wearily, grateful for their selfless aid but worried over it. Humans were fragile compared to his kind and he didn't want them hurt after they allowed them to stay. He tapped his top mandible tusks over his closed bottom mandibles and spoke with light enthusiasm, "The only worthy fighter here among us is Sau'Nak. We. . .we have a ship and we have weapons inside. I don't know how to use them correctly but I can still use a blade nonetheless."

_Maybe all those lessons from father will come in handy_, he thought hopefully.

"Leitjin" Sau'Nak growled in reprimand, not liking his giveaway of information. Anything relating to the yautja was kept only among his people, no one else. His species was aggressive and impassive, traits that kept other species at bay and in fear of them.

_Next thing I know, they'll be clinging for more intelligence_, he thought with a grimace and mentally shuddered at the thought of aliens physically clinging to him.

"They're our only chance so far and if I must divulge some information for the safety and return of the others, then I will" Leitjin said grimly, looking down to his unfinished bowl of soup. Flatly, he stated, "You may fine me with a punishment when I return to the Ade'k'ra but I have to do this."

"So now you're keeping secrets?" Christina questioned sharply and glared at Sau'Nak. He already made her uneasy with his attitude but now he was ordering the shorter alien around. She wrinkled her nose as she frowned, "Who says you're the boss of this place? What're you, a cop?"

"Ooman-" he barked but the medic cut in between his hisses.

"My brother is one of our captured comrades and I must get him back" he admitted, trying to stop the desperation in his voice but failed as his voice became hoarse. He hated being weak and his brother needed him now on this backwater planet. His back tensed in thought to Kahet's present condition and stated gravely, "I will do anything to protect him as he's always done to me. I'm sorry for bringing this upon you and I know it's too much to ask, but I still thank you letting us stay the night. You've done much for us already without asking anything in return and that is honorable among our own."

Christina looked to the alien who's hazel eyes gazed melancholy at the window and almost. . .teary? Aliens could cry? This night was working her neurons into overtime and it was tiring her into early sleep. Her eyes glanced at the anxious alien and couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. If her brother was trapped on an alien planet, she'd go through hell to get him back too. With a sigh, she mumbled reluctantly, "I understand your worry, I'd protect my family the same way. If. . .if you can get to your ship, maybe you can use the weapons to at least cause a diversion while some of us try to find the others. As much as I hate to say it, my brother's right and you will need help. I'll help but I'm only doing it to protect my crazy cousins from getting shot full of lead."

"I feel the love radiating off you" Marissa said flatly but smiled. If Leitjin had turned on the puppy-eye look intentionally, it worked perfectly to bring her onboard. Otherwise, she was sure Christina would've been saying goodbye as she went to sleep without a care.

"Oh, now you're helping to plan?" Will grinned cheekily and she raised her chin defiantly to ignore him. She may have agreed in reluctance to aid but she wasn't about to turn jolly over it. The idea was insane but someone needed to keep her brother in check.

"When it comes to family, nothing is more important to me" she said matter-of-factly and smiled slightly, "Otherwise, my brother would be dead after too many crazy stunts. Besides, if I get to handle a powerful alien weapon and possibly survive unscathed, what do I have to lose other than a limb or my life?"

"Stop being morbid" her brother scolded and Bianca nodded silently in agreement. She glared at her and the dark haired woman scooted her chair to the side to sit closer to Leitjin to escape it.

"We have two other members on our ship, they're not fighters but one is very agile" Sau'Nak said thoughtfully and began to pace behind the couch, trying to form a half-decent plan. They didn't have time to spare and he'd take the lead in directing their mission. He clasped his hands behind his back and murmured to himself, "I can contact them and tell them how to place an autopilot location on the ship and bring it here. If that works. . ."

He kept pacing while a variety of conceivable plans popped into his head. The humans watched him pace back and forth for minutes until they became dizzy from the sight. Leitjin simply returned to finishing his now lukewarm soup and allowed his cousin to think, he was the smartest from his group besides Bakuub anyway.

"He does that all the time, it helps him think" he informed them and finished the last of his soup, licking his sharp teeth to make sure nothing was smeared over them. Looking at Bianca, he stated, "You will stay here or on our ship, young one. You are a female that seeks peace and nonviolence, not bloodshed. It would be best to leave you somewhere safe, I won't have you in a hazardous setting."

"But what if someone gets hurt on the field?" she demanded, worried for all of them. Yes, she was terrified about all that had happened within the past few hours but she didn't want to leave them while they went into possible danger. She didn't want her family on her own facing the government and possibly get themselves killed by trying to save a couple aliens. And what if the aliens were hurt or captured? The others would be defenseless without them! She stood up from her chair and cried, "How can I stand here safely while-"

"He's right, you can get hurt" Christina agreed firmly and gave her a soft smile. "You're not meant to see this kind of stuff, Bianca. Just hold the fort for us until we get back. If we get hurt, you can patch us up."

"But Mari gets to-" she began to object.

"No buts, missy" Marissa said, hugging her petite cousin tightly. She grumbled incoherently in return and the brunette assured her with a smile, "We'll be fine. Besides, if we can sneak in and out, we'll do that. You're not ready for these kinds of things."

"I'm not weak" she mumbled but knew her argument was over. They were right, she'd most likely scream her head off at seeing dead bodies and more aliens. She blew a puff of air between her teeth and crossed her arms to sit back down again.

"Bianca, keep patching up Leitjin" Christina spoke up, giving out orders as she stood between the group. The three cousins sighed at seeing her relentless commando mode in play. She was perfect for giving orders in business and apparently now too. Hopefully, it would aid them in survival. She walked over to the counter and pulled out a drawer to grab a flashlight, throwing it to her brother. He caught it and she told him, "Will, make sure the truck's running and be careful outside. We don't know if this area's being monitored. Mari, gather anything useful for our trip whether it's intel or weapons. Leitjin. . .keep eating soup and stay warm." He gave her a baffled look as she snapped at the pilot, "You, stop pacing and make a plan-"

"I am making one, ooman!" he barked angrily and she threw her plastic dinner fork at his head. The object bounced off his wide ridged forehead as he growled, "Stop throwing stuff at me, psychopath!"

"Enough!" Marissa intervened between the two before he attempted to strangle her and pointed to the hallway. She turned to the pilot and gave him a peaceful smile as she held back the rabid banshee. He gave her a quick glance as he mainly focused on the other female's hostility and she suggested, "Sau'Nak, our room is in there through the hallway and the silence may help you think better. Chris, stop throwing utensils and help the others. We need to get along if we're going in this together so suck up your pride. We're here to help each other."

"Thank you, Marissa" he said with a respectful nod but glared at the other female. She frowned at him as he smirked to the calm brunette, "Maybe if we throw her with a strapped bomb at the enemy, she'll do us a favor."

"Oh! You-" Christina shouted but Marissa pushed the tall male in the other direction, her small build guiding him before he could retort. The blond fisted her hands and growled at them, "This isn't over, crab-face!"

The pilot growled but the brunette kept pushing him as he tried to turn. She knew she had no force of any kind to stop him but he gave up his fight since she didn't relent. He was the last person she wanted to upset right now and he was needed to concentrate on their mission.

"Just go and forget about her" she ordered firmly and let him go before he could argue. He growled softly and rubbed at his back uncertainly and she released an exasperated sigh, "I don't have harmful germs, you hypochondriac!"

She left without another word and walked over to Christina, who still mumbled about ungrateful aliens and pulled her wrist, "Let's go and plan for uncertain death."

XXXXXX

End of **Chapter 5**. Sorry for the long wait but after a few health problems, I'm back in my chair. Chapters for this story will be long so watch out for those. All right, so most of my characters have met up on shaky grounds and their adventure will start picking up. If you expect Iliana or Kantra to pop up, sorry for the disappointment but it won't be for a while. Thanks again for reading and for the last chapter reviews, I appreciate your feedback.


	6. I'm The Leader!

CHAPTER 6:

**I'm The Leader!**

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"How do you think they're doing on Earth?" Aloun'Da asked her mother as she sewed a floor-length hemline in a child's dress. She was stocking up on children's clothing during her free time to give her mother a free wardrobe once her new siblings popped in, whether male or female. Her fingers worked through the fabric meticulously as her mother and aunts talked before her, sipping drinks.

"My Aru'Dre is probably boasting about his trophies" Zia sighed with a small smile and stared into her pink colored drink. If there was one female the hunter cared for, it was his mother. He never showed publicly it but he was a spoiled rotten mama's boy since birth. Her free fingers tapped the metal cup's side as she tilted her head to the side with a fond glance in her brown almond-shaped eyes, "He said he was going to tell me all of his adventures when he returns."

"I hope Kahet likes it" Iliana chuckled as she laid back into the couch to relax and held her drink on her bloated stomach. One of her twins was giving a kicking session so she opted to let it have fun while she sat idly by. One eyebrow shot up in thought as she made a light frown, "I don't think he was too happy to go."

"Sure he was, it's your home planet, mother" Aloun'Da pointed out in assurance and tore her gaze away from her stitching. "He's just trying to put on his tough façade, he doesn't like showing his feelings too much. I'm sure he'll love it once he sees the real thing from the pictures you've shown us. I would've loved to have gone if they'd asked."

"Your father would lock you in your quarter before that was allowed" her mother laughed and perked up to her daughter's words. Aloun'Da pouted with a slight nod and returned to her work.

"Child, you will eat this!" Sali'ah hissed as she fed her infant daughter, Sad'ah, a fruit purée. The toddler spit out every spoonful and let it dribble down her chin as she stared at her mother defiantly with red eyes. Her mother wiped the scowling face with a cloth and growled to herself, "Paya, I will build a ship in your honor if you make this child eat anything today!"

Iliana glanced in amusement to the parent-child battle and grinned, "She's still not eating your food?"

"It's driving me insane, I should just take her to Sau-Trul and make him feed her" she declared with a raspy exhale of irritation and narrowed her eyes to the pup. "I bet if I put on your father's clothes and mask, you'd eat. I'd probably need to record his voice to convince you too."

She gave Sad'ah another spoonful, only to have it spit out in protest all over her clothed chest. The pilot uttered a throaty gurgle as the other women hid their laughter to her predicament, glad they had no stubborn pups of their own. She cleaned her ruined dress with one hand as the infant let out a lazy yawn and eyed Zia's drink with curiosity. Sali'ah saw the 'I want' look in her round eyes and tickled Sad'ah's chin in attention to say, "That's it. No breast milk for you tonight!"

"Sali'ah, she's only a baby!" Zia blurted with a series of laughs and Sad'ah smiled at the sound. Zia reached out her hand to caress her auburn cheek as she smiled, "She doesn't know what she's doing. Suckling's are picky all the time."

"I never said I was the epitome of motherhood" she snorted with slight flare of her mandibles and tickled her child's stomach, who growled and swiped at her offending hands. Her mother simply trilled at her rebellion and pointed out, "Sucklings were the last thing I wanted but Sau-Trul whined about his lineage so I got a daughter. I thought she'd take after me but it seems all of them want to be with him! He has his Sau-Trul justice team, where's my team to pilot the skies?"

"You could have another suckling" Iliana taunted with a smirk and leaned over to take a sip of her drink. She stroked her stomach fondly and chuckled, "The stomach's good for holding drinks."

"Not until the next century!" she rejected sourly and her infant cuddled into her arms for a nap, clinging onto her sea-green dress as she settled her face into her bosom. Sali'ah rocked her gently and lay back against the couch with a cocky grin to tease, "I'll leave that to you, Iliana."

"Why did Kantra have to get the twin gene?" she complained and felt a sharp kick to her left side. She couldn't wait to see which one of her little devils was the kicker of the two so she could have Kantra name it. She massaged the spot and looked down with a frown to order, "Keep it down in there, everybody. They're worse than Kahet with the kicks."

"They're fighters" Sali'ah laughed with her father's similar words in regard to any female's pregnancy. Sad'ah mumbled a few incoherent sounds as she clicked her mandibles and squeezed her grip on the dress. Her mother already knew that was her 'let me sleep' action and stroked her back soothingly to ease her as she told the other women, "My boys never kicked much during my pregnancy. Father said they weren't even born yet and had already given up."

Zia spit out her drink and apologized to Iliana about her wet floor as she tried to breathe through her stuffy nose. The sugary taste of the drink was all she could smell and she glared at the cup with a cough to clear her lungs. Aloun'Da pricked her finger with the needle and stopped to let out a chuckle as she nursed the stinging digit with her other hand.

"Grandfather was wrong, Sri'shan's brilliant with laws" she smiled and remembered how he outsmarted Sau'Nak with other worldly laws on his last visit to their ship. The other twin then found a loophole in the law but lost the argument by a conjoined rule of decree. "And Sau'Nak never gives up and always has a plan for everything."

XXXXXX

_This is the worst plan in all of existence! I should be ashamed of myself!_

"Eshin'Ga, Shadow, do you copy?" Sau'Nak asked sullenly as he opened his personal link to contact the ship. Unless the humans had technology to interfere with their advanced encrypted communication, which he doubted, there should be no problem. He needed to relay their current situation and plans to the others before they worried. By worried, he meant an infuriated scientist demanding answers and a hard meat ready to track them down. As the humans and Leitjin slept for a few hours, he'd decided to stay up and make last minute details to make his plan foolproof. Extremely foolproof due to his unit consisting of civilians.

_I hate Earth_, he thought disdainfully. _I can only hope that I don't lose a limb in this daring rescue. Then again, if I succeed, I'll gain experience in fighting against enemies. Stupid connection, what's-_

"Eshin'Ga here" a sharp female voice answered back. Her tone contained irritation, which he guessed was from leaving her lab. As a male, he knew females weren't to be trifled with. . .friends or not. "What is it?"

"Are any oomans near the ship's vicinity?" he asked tonelessly, keeping his calculating mind calm. He didn't need to make them edgy if he started spouting all the dangers they faced and the severity of their crew's safety. He would stay composed like any leader would since he was the only one fit to assume Bakuub's role in his or Kahet's absence.

_I never trained in the event that both would be out of the picture!_, he thought furiously.

"No, Shadow ran a complete scan and nothing is out of the ordinary" Eshin'Ga explained casually and shifted her voice defensively the next second, "_Should_ we look out for them?"

"Yes" he answered with a grunt and explained the situation calmly, "While heading to the rendezvous point, oomans managed to track down Bakuub, Kahet, and Aru'Dre. Their location is currently unknown as of three hours ago and I am sure they have been captured-"

"Is my brother all right?" she demanded in concern. Her sharp voice rose into a rattling hiss as she questioned, "Has he contacted you? Have you searched for him?"

"I was getting to that" he stated, holding back a hiss, and she became silent to hear his information. He heard muffled arguing on the other side of the door and rolled his eyes; the humans really were grating on his nerves since they met. It died down after a female voice said a few garbled words and he continued on, "I know nothing except that they have been captured by those cretins. Ooman technology played a factor and they had larger numbers to take down all three of them. Leitjin and I managed to evade them in the forest and are currently hiding. I need you or Shadow to bring the ship to my location so we can rescue them. Leitjin and I can't risk exposing ourselves into the open right now and our ship's cloak blends easily in the night."

"Shadow and I cannot fly a ship! You're the pilot!" she yelled in instant shock to the idea and breathed a few mouthfuls to neutrally state regretfully, "If they have been captured, our laws state to leave them behind. Will you?"

"No, I plan on rescuing them with or without consent of the clan" he answered simply and heard a breath of relief from her end. Did they all think he'd leave them behind due to his devotion to the law? He tapped his claws against one of the wooden bunk bed poles, lightly marking the wood with a claw mark. "You must come before dawn, we plan to surprise the oomans before daylight. Their vision is awful during that time and I plan to use it to our advantage."

"Is Leitjin going? He's a medic! He could shoot off his own foot in the dark!" she exclaimed quickly and caused his internal eardrums to ring in pain. His brows furrowed in a grimace and he shook his head to make it stop.

"Yes and. . .we have come in contact with other oomans" he explained reluctantly and heard her growl in further aggravation. He cut in rapidly before she pointed out the dangers and attitude towards them, which he already knew, and told her, "Apparently, we were in their empty dwelling before they arrived and after frightening them, they have been quite hospitable. Some more than most."

"Are you serious, Sau'Nak? I thought oomans were nothing but simple barbarians!" she said, surprised by the news and current arrangement of her friends. With a curious edge, she asked, "What will you do to them? Oomans cannot know of our existence at all."

"They seem trustworthy, well, most, I don't warm up to anyone so I'm impartial" he said simply, remembering the temperamental female and curled his mandibles inward in displeasure. However, he wouldn't judge all of them based on her actions alone and stated, "They are healing Leitjin right now and want to aid us in rescuing the others also. They're actually the ones who gave us the information about the others after stumbling onto the site where they were captured. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't know where to look."

"You're sure they're not working for their own kind as double agents?" Eshin'Ga questioned suspiciously and hissed protectively, "I don't like knowing my brother's life is in the hands of prey while you're also among them."

"I don't like it either but. . .they're the only choice for aid" he said truthfully and suppressed a sigh as he leaned his head back to close his eyes for a moment. "They're surprisingly kind, almost like my ooman aunts. Maybe not all oomans are the same as we believe they are. The civilian kinds at least. If they step out of line though, I won't hesitate to end their lives."

"Fine, you're in charge now that none of the others are here" she stated bluntly and he heard shuffling in the background, "Shadow's here so tell us what you need."

XXXXXX

Pain.

Dull stinging.

Aching.

All he could feel was the cold metal underneath his bare skin. Wait a minute. . .where the hell was his armor? And why were his arms strapped away from his body? He moved his head to the side to clear it of the light throbbing but decided it wasn't important. He opened his eyelids and light peered into his sensitive eyes to bring a cold, gray room into focus. He noticed he was mounted against the wall on a metal slab while his arms and feet were strapped securely with clasps. The chains tightened around his body didn't make it better either in comfort. He cast a look around without making any sudden movement and spotted his two comrades in the same room.

_Damn it, those oomans took my mask_, Kahet growled mentally. _Stupid creatures._

He spotted one of his comrades begin to stir and spoke quietly, "Aru'Dre, stop moving! They could be monitoring us!"

"Those fucking bastards took my stuff!" he hissed furiously but listened to the older male. His mandibles flared angrily as his golden eyes narrowed into slits and growled, "Stupid pyode amedhas! Using their numbers against us and their stupid little weaponry! Arrgh! I've never wanted to kill anything so badly right now!"

"We need to escape" Kahet reminded sharply, craning his neck to the side in an uncomfortable glance at his restraints. Reinforced metal. Just great. He turned back to Aru'Dre and ignored the crick in his neck to order, "We need to get these off without grabbing their attention."

"Bakuub's out" Aru'Dre informed, glancing at their unconscious leader who was more injured than they with extra cuts and bruises decorating his body. Obviously, he'd given a tougher fight than the other two. He wiggled his left wrist against the restraint and muttered, "I was knocked out before he went down."

"Me too" he mumbled in irritation and exhaled roughly. How could he let himself be caught by prey? Oh, his sire would be ashamed of him once he found out. He admitted his weakness at being caught but he wasn't going to die by them. He would not underestimate his enemies again despite his people thought them inferior. He clenched his fists and muttered, "Their technology's gotten better over the years. My mother never told me of their new weaponry and I haven't read much about it in the hunters logs. Guess they aren't as dumb as I thought."

"I don't care how smart their asses are! They're still scum!" his cousin growled nastily and looked at him heatedly to demand, "What do we do? I'm not staying here for pleasantries!"

"We need to find a weakness in these restraints" he instructed and the other nodded as he studied the metal shackle. Knowing how impatient the other male was in close spaces, he added in, "Do not move unless it's a necessary movement. We cannot let them detect anything from us unless we deliberately incite them or we're ready to break these open."

"I'm not good at staying still" Aru'Dre grumbled in annoyance but listened. He decided to use his brain power to undo the restraints and for a moment wished that his smart-alecky cousin was there for input. He stared up at the ceiling as he lay motionless and asked, "What about Leitjin and Sau'Nak?"

Kahet hesitated for a moment and said, "We can only hope they escaped, otherwise they'd be here." He remembered his last communication with the pilot and hoped he'd heeded his order in time. If something happened to Leitjin, he'd never forgive himself. He wasn't even supposed to be on a planet due to his rank but he let him indulge in his curiosity. With a raspy inhale, he sighed, "I don't want to think about the other possibility."

"I hope you're right" he agreed quietly without his sarcastic bite and tried to lighten the mood. He wasn't good when it came to emotional events or chats and always tried to turn it around to suit his personality. "Great hunt this turned out to be. Next time, we're going to that ice planet I chose! I'd rather have my foot freeze off than get captured by prey."

"Afraid of a little ooman?" Kahet teased lightly and placed a smirk onto his face. One thing he liked about Aru'Dre, he never gave up a fight until he won. "We'll make them wish they'd never met us."

"Most definitely. . .but first, we need to wake _him_" he trilled and shifted his eyes to Bakuub. Their speech could reach lower decibels unable to be heard by human ears and he decided to hiss at the knocked out male, "Get up. Wake up, you loser! You call yourself a man? You look like a pup in my view! That's right, I called you a suckling!"

Kahet stared at his cousin, bewildered by his plan, and hissed, "What are you doing? You'll expose us!"

"I'm waking him, insults usually work since I can't poke him" he answered simply with an evil smirk, enjoying himself more than he should, and continued, "Wake up, asshole! I mated with your sister! We'll be family soon and I'm naming the pup in your honor."

Bakuub twitched with a sudden jolt and growled involuntarily, "Screw that!"

"See?" Aru'Dre trilled to Kahet, who shook his head in dismay.

The young captain shook his head as he woke, clearing away the blurriness in his vision. The pain in his body returned as he moved his muscles and growled when he noticed his sepia colored friend smirking. Glaring dazedly at Aru'Dre, he grunted, "I'll kill you before that ever happens."

"I'm kidding, she'll kill me herself" Aru'Dre trilled and nodded to himself proudly for succeeding. He let Bakuub come to his senses before speaking impishly, "Besides, she's way older than me. I like mines young and flexible."

"And naïve" Kahet burst in making him hiss, though he was right. He didn't think the lecherous male had limitations when it came to females but for some reason, he rejected any smart ones. In Kahet's view, he needed them to straighten his hotheaded mind. He gave a small laugh and pointed out, "Eshin'Ga's only seven years older than you and she's brilliant, unlike you. . .hmm, I guess you're right, you'd only dumb her down."

"One is too many. . .hey!" Aru'Dre huffed arrogantly and glared at him for the insult. Bakuub trilled from his corner and he decided to get serious since they were now offending him. He looked to an amused Kahet and gave him a glare as he asked, "Find any weaknesses with these shackles? I got squat."

"No, all we can do is try to tear them off" he grumbled, studying the metal. He didn't think he could break the shackles but maybe he could tear them off the metal slab to free himself. However, he stared at his cousin as he wiggled his hand and raised a curious brow ridge in thought. Aru'Dre noticed his glance and stopped awkwardly as Kahet's expression irked him. The hunter then spoke to him about his plan, "You're flexible and your wrists are thinner than ours. Can you try to wiggle a hand or your foot out of one?"

"Are you saying I'm skinny? What an insult!" he exclaimed dramatically and turned away from them, not keen on being the one who had to do the work. "After all our years of friendship and this is the truth, in our time of need, why-"

"Shut up and do it!" Bakuub ordered instantly with a growl to silence him. The shorter hunter hissed out a curse and began to slide and wiggle his wrist around the metal restraint to free it.

He kept muttering cusses every time his bones couldn't pass through and twisted his hand at odd angles in which the leader grimaced, "Flexibility like that is not meant to be viewed by the yautja eyes."

Aru'Dre let out a sharp bark and snapped, "You want this done or not? Either you praise my flexibility and view this as bodily art or we're rotting in here!"

"Let's hope this works or we'll try the brute strength idea" Kahet told them as they tediously watched Aru'Dre keep fiddling with his wrist. It wasn't the best entertainment but it was something as they waited.

XXXXXX

"We're going to be action heroes" Will smiled lazily as he woke up. He'd decided to bring his sleeping bag into the living room and sleep next to the two aliens. It was almost like a dream come true for him. Christina had yelled him a list of cons for even thinking about it but he decided to take the chance. Seriously, who could say they survived sleeping next to two aliens in their life? He would've given Leitjin his bed but he didn't know if his weight would break it and make him fall onto his sister's bottom bunk and most likely crush his oldest sister to death. He cracked his spine as he sat up from the firm wooden floor and unzipped his bag to stand up. He yawned and covered his mouth, smelling the usual morning breath, and fixed his ruffled hair. His bathroom kit was next to him so he grabbed it as he shook the sleep from his body.

Sau'Nak merely gave the half-awake male a glance as he leaned against the wooden walls silently. He had stayed awake the entire time to take a lookout post while Leitjin slept comfortably. Friendly territory or not, he would not let his guard down until he was back among his own. The human walked to the sink to wash his mouth and face while Sau'Nak let out a quiet snort.

"Or possibly die" he stated as he walked to the window and peeked out of a corner into the dark night to keep punctual surveillance. He'd stationed himself near the windows in case any humans passed by, military or civilian.

"I like to think about the positive rather than the negative" Will answered and patted his face dry with a small towel. He exhaled to check his fresh breath and nodded approvingly. He didn't want to look unkempt to his guests, even if it was the middle of the night. His spine gave a soft crunch and he stretched to work out the tight kinks from his uncomfortable sleeping position. Returning to his sleeping bag, he leaned down to fix it in its rolled up position as he smiled, "Otherwise, I'd be a nerve-wreck right now and scream at the sight of you."

"Your logic is very strange" the other male responded simply and kept watching the forest.

"Yeah, I get that all the time" he grinned goofily, brushing a hand through his brown hair to comb it somewhat. Yawning loudly, he declared, "This is gonna rock more than anything I've ever done in my life. It's more suspenseful than the time I decided to buy a life-size figure of either Darth Vader, Megatron, or Wolverine at a Sci-Fi Expo."

Sau'Nak stared at the male with a baffled look and asked, "What is a 'Megatron'?"

"Nothing, never mind" he chuckled at his lack of human entertainment knowledge and noticed Marissa coming into the room in her blue pajamas as she rubbed her dry eyes. She spotted him in the dark room and waved in passing as he greeted, "Good half-night, cousin."

"Half-night?" she asked tiredly, not understanding. Her brain was on shutdown mode at this time of night until it would be time to leave. She brushed her brown hair as she walked over to the sink to freshen up and mumbled, "Uh. . .sure, you too."

"How do you understand what he speaks of?" Sau'Nak asked the female from across the room. He decided to pry himself away from the window and check on Leitjin, stretching his limbs as he walked. Marissa could only stare in disbelief at the tall alien flex like a limber cat as he checked on the sleeping medic. Leitjin simply stirred in his spot and held his polyester blanket closer as he subconsciously mumbled about 'candy' and 'don't fear the needle'. The pilot rolled his eyes underneath his mask as he walked away from Leitjin and Will, stopping at the ruined counter of his doing.

"I grew used to it over the years" she answered as she boiled water in a kettle on their cabin stove. The cabin itself was still dark so she told Will to turn on a lantern to not strain their eyesight. Looking at Sau'Nak, she continued, "We have our quirky relaxed selves that only we understand and our professional selves which the outside world sees. That and Will's a total sci-fi nut so sometimes the things he babbles about aren't understood by anybody else, even us."

"So are you, madam!" Will declared and pointed a finger at her. He would not look completely crazy by himself in front of the aliens and smirked, "I wasn't the one chasing a Deadpool cosplayer when you were 16 all over the convention."

"I only followed because I was a Marvel cosplayer too!" she objected defensively and blushed quickly, embarrassed by the topic as the pilot glanced between the two. Did he have to bring up her past teenage spazzes? She cleared her throat and muttered, "It had nothing to do with how awesome he looked with the katanas! It's not my fault ninjas are hot."

"I will never understand oomans" Sau'Nak mumbled to himself and hissed at the humans for puzzling him. He was more confused now than when he started! Next time, he'd keep his mouth shut and not overexert his brain. As he passed Leitjin, the medic stirred with a sleep groan and let out a yawn as his eyes greeted the dark room.

"Like they said, they're quirky" he said with a small smile, sitting up and stretching his mandibles to yawn lazily. He'd heard the end of their conversation and enjoyed the puzzling sentences. They were interesting creatures when docile and could've been used for further study among his people. He scratched an itchy spot on his scalp and shrugged his shoulders casually, "I like them."

"Hmm, of course you would" he scoffed dryly and looked to the arguing cousins as one fixed his things and the other made a meal. Sau'Nak intervened by stepping in between and asked the logical one sharply, "When will the other two wake? Our ship will not be long in arriving and I don't waste time."

"It won't crush our cabin, will it?" Marissa demanded instantly with a hint of worry. Sau'Nak didn't answer and hoped his friends could even fly the ship this far without crashing. Maybe he should train a co-pilot and be less possessive of his control bridge. His emotionless mask didn't make her worry less and his silence made her eyes wider to make her blurt out, "Sau'Nak?!"

"What's this about a crushed cabin? Not on my watch!" Chris's snappish voice broke into the conversation and the two turned to her. Her usually styled blond hair was bushy and knotty while her eyes had dark bags under them. Marissa gave her a cup of hot chocolate she'd made to soothe her before she started another argument with the pilot. The night before had her bossing all of them around and the little sleep they got made her cranky. She wasn't a morning person and sure as hell wasn't a middle of the night wanderer.

"Wonderful, the she-demon has awakened" Sau'Nak scoffed dryly and Marissa glared at him to stop his insults. The two hadn't gotten along at all since they met and the others had to play peacemaker between them. She shoved a warm cup of chocolate into his hands and he unclasped his mask to sniff it suspiciously, "What is this?"

"A beverage made from cocoa powder that's sweet and contains water" she stated simply and he stared at the contents more closely. Were all aliens this skeptical about humans? It's not like she was going to drug him and keep him locked in her basement somewhere. She took a sip from her own cup to show him it was safe and said bluntly, "It's called hot chocolate. Unless you're severely allergic to cocoa, you'll live. Any questions?"

"She's our little encyclopedia" Christina pointed out, giving her cousin a happy one-armed hug. Marissa smiled modestly as she let go to keep sipping her drink and the blond yawned tiredly, "You've no idea how much I studied with this one to pass my courses."

"Another scholar who treasures the written word" Leitjin laughed amusingly to Sau'Nak who gave him no attention. If it was one thing the pilot didn't like, it was competition to his intellectual skills.

_As if an ooman could survive a competition against me intellectually or physically_, he thought arrogantly.

"And now you're all gone and I'm free" Marissa grinned back to her cousin and the two went back to their room to change as they chatted together.

Bianca had popped into the living room quietly without anyone noticing and began to make their morning meal quickly to help them on their way. The pilot stared at the petite female who only blinked back with her chocolate brown eyes without a word and he grew bored with her shy disposition instantly. He went back to Leitjin with his hot beverage; he had no time for conversation anyway. He sipped the hot liquid and it burned the tip of his thin tongue making him hiss.

"Why is all their food always boiling hot?" he growled painfully and set the cup down on the coffee table carefully without scalding himself. He couldn't wait to leave this place and return to his beloved ship. Sitting on the cold wooden floor, he asked Leitjin, "How are you today? I could apply more of the medicine on you. I still have a little left in a vial and it can help."

"It just needs time" he answered and dropped his blanket to inspect his injury in the dim lighting. Touching his scabbing skin softly with his fingertip, he said, "It's healing correctly but the pain is another thing."

"The ship will be here soon and you can inject yourself" his cousin informed him and hoped the others could drive the ship safely to their location. He didn't like his first shot at being the leader and couldn't wait to hand it back to Bakuub who always commanded them flawlessly. He released a stressful sigh and told his cousin, "I don't like the idea of you going into danger, however. Kahet will kill me if he finds out I let you."

"I will not run while he needs me and he's not here to stop me" Leitjin said sharply, narrowing his hazel eyes. He knew Sau'Nak would try to talk him out of it but he wouldn't budge. His brother was out there and he would find him. Dead or alive, he didn't know but he stayed optimistic. "The plan has already been made and it's in motion. All I need is armor and I can handle myself with some wrist blades and a caster. I can throw pretty well, I think, but I suck at aiming with spears though so I'll use a scattergun."

Sau'Nak chuckled softly at his beginner skills and eased him, "You never liked to fight, that's why. You made excuses about tearing a muscle and went to read instead." Leitjin scoffed at his true remark as he continued, "I can fight and I will use Shadow so he can sneak in during the diversion and track them down. Kainde amedhas are cunning when it comes to tracking down friendlies or enemies. Can you manage to hold off the oomans once you encounter them?"

"I'll be fine, you do what you need to" he assured, not making Sau'Nak feel better about the whole idea. Bianca walked over to them and smiled shyly at Leitjin as she interrupted their small conversation.

"Would you like some soup or solid food? I could make either for you" she spoke softly, darting her eyes nervously between the two beings. Everyone was off doing something so it was up to her to feed them breakfast and she found the medic easier to approach than the other. Leitjin smiled at her shyness, it reminded him of his childhood. Sau'Nak, however, just found it annoying but he gave her the benefit of the doubt since she helped Leitjin.

"Whatever is available, Bianca, thank you" the medic replied with a friendly smile and she nodded slowly as she thinned her lips in thought about what he would like. "You're very timid, aren't you?"

She looked down, startled, and rubbed her arms to give him a nervous chuckle, "I'm just on edge. I'm worried about what can happen today, this is very dangerous for all of you."

"I'll make sure that your cousins come back safe" he promised with a firm stare despite his face was more delicate than Sau'Nak's stoic expression. He planned to keep them close to his spot and out of direct combat to lessen their chances of mortality while Sau'Nak took the dangerous route. "I will not leave anyone behind."

"Thanks, but be careful yourself, okay?" she said, smiling gently. She didn't want the alien civilian getting more beat up than he already was and couldn't help but worry about him. Yes, they frightened her beyond anything but she couldn't treat them inhumanely at the same time. She leaned down to fluff his pillow and joked lightly, "I don't want my first alien patient dying on me. It'll be bad for my nursing reputation."

"Ah, I see you're using humor like your cousins now" he chuckled in a friendly jab and trilled. Sau'Nak rolled his eyes and decided to recede into his mind to keep planning and block them out. Leitjin fixed the blanket around himself as a chill passed by his bare feet from floor and assured, "Do not worry yourself too much, little one. I will look after your kin, I owe them for all of their aid and I will not forsake them."

She smiled widely in appreciation and left without a word to make their food. Sau'Nak snapped out of his meditative state after his cousin poked his shoulder and he rumbled his chest to grunt, "If I was alone here, I would've run off in the middle of the night to escape this peppy atmosphere. You chose the right profession, you put everyone at ease."

"Except you, my cousin" he pointed out, lowering his trills. Sometimes, he wondered if he could send him to a spa planet to make him loosen up and relax. At twenty-nine, the pilot already had the maturity of a blooded warrior. He sighed and lied down on the couch again to say, "If your plan goes correctly, which most usually do, we will make it without casualties."

"Statistics won't make it better, Leit" Sau'Nak said, but smiled lightly for the compliment. He wasn't an optimistic male, he was realistic and almost pessimistic, but he needed the boost from Leitjin for this. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

XXXXXX

"Where are you?" Sau'Nak inquired as he watched the outside through the window again. His communication line was continuously open and he wanted to check their team's progress. He walked over to Bianca and gave her his empty plate with a gracious nod for her hospitality. She scuttled off to see Leitjin as he returned to observe the outside.

"Almost there, the autopilot's still engaged" Eshin'Ga reported after a few curses and demanded, "Is there a clearing to land at? I can't fly in low altitude for long without crashing into something."

"Uh. . ." he trailed off hesitantly, forgetting that part of the plan. He'd been wrapped up in a battlefield plan rather than the auto piloting plan this whole time. He gave a quick glance around the forest outside and said, "You're going to have to either find one or plow into the trees of the forest."

"What?! We can barely even fly this thing!" she yelled instantly from fear and growled, "What if we damage it? Bakuub will murder me!"

"The ship has a tough hide, it can handle it" he stated simply and ran his hand down his head to massage his temple. "Scan for an open field before engaging in the landing procedure. Smash into the trees but do not harm the dwelling or we're all dead."

"This wouldn't be happening if you'd train Aru'Dre or me to fly" she pointed out sharply and he winced from her irritated tone. True, she and Aru'Dre kept nagging him about it but he didn't think the crew would be incapacitated without him as long as Bakuub was there but both absences kind of stranded them right now. However, he wouldn't admit his fault and kept silent. He heard hissing in the background and she yelled, "Keep watching the screen while I scan this, Shadow! Damn you, Sau'Nak! If I die, I'll have you castrated!"

"You'll do fine" Sau'Nak stated bluntly and cut off the connection. He decided to go think alone and walked towards the human's quarters. Eshin'Ga's yelling had pained his ears and he needed silence to soothe them before he acquired a headache. His hand grabbed the metal oval-shaped handle to open the door and pushed it open roughly. Inside, he saw the three females dressing and they shrieked instantly at the sight of him. Quickly, he apologized to them, "Damn it! Sorry!"

"Get out!" Marissa shrieked embarrassedly as she grabbed a blanket to cover her naked torso and Christina hurled a heeled boot at his masked head to fend him off. Bianca hid behind her fearfully while putting on a turtleneck as he ran away from the room as quickly as the wind. He touched the top of his mask for a dent but found none and heard the women cursing at him from within the room.

His sensitive ears rung with their resonating yells and he saw Leitjin and Will staring at him as he entered the main room. He tried to act casual as if nothing happened but they burst into laughter as the sounds died down in the hallway. Will grinned and laughed at him, "Trying to catch a peep show on them?"

"If you are insinuating that I would even dare consider looking at the ooman female body, you are horribly mistaken" he snapped coldly, trying to protect his remaining dignity. That and trying to erase the image of the half-naked females from his mind. He justified his rash actions with, "Marissa said I could use the room to think-"

"Not while they're in it" Will laughed loudly and Leitjin joined in, angering the pilot. He leaned down to double-knot his shoelaces to make sure he wouldn't have a slip up when it came time to run. His mouth hitched in a grin as he stared up at him and chuckled, "You're lucky Christina isn't chasing you with a torch."

"I'll happily torch myself if it happens again" he grunted in irritation and went back to his post at the window. His chest rumbled from the incident as his body tensed defensively but he was lucky that human females didn't castrate males for trespassing, something his kind would most likely do.

"Is he always that serious?" Will asked Leitjin, who was still laughing from his spot on the couch. He held his right side as he laughed despite the pain and Sau'Nak hissed at him, quieting his laughs for a few seconds.

"Yes" he replied with a firm nod as his cousin returned to gaze outside the window. The image of him scattering made him laugh again and he admitted, "I can't wait to tell the others about this. Usually, one of our other companions does this sort of thing, but to see Sau'Nak do it. . ."

He kept laughing uncontrollably until his cousin growled angrily and remembered that his cousin was much taller, older, and could beat him up if he wanted to. The three men then waited as the women finished getting dressed which irritated Sau'Nak as he wondered how long it took to put on simple articles of clothing. Will then introduced them to the articulated fashion and beauty procedures women went through every day and the pilot groaned when Christina yelled at Will for insulting her gender and decided to take even longer. He was about to burst in there and pull her out by the hair but they called out they'd finished. Will had already changed into a pair of pants and a short-sleeved shirt for flexibility and comfort. He'd already filled up a case of glass beers with rags and alcohol so he could start the diversion portion of their plan. He didn't want to burn the forest down though so he'd have be careful but he had a knack that Sau'Nak didn't really give a damn about it.

Bianca walked out wearing blue jeans and a pink turtleneck while her long hair was tied into a braid down her back. She avoided the males completely and quickly went to fix the blankets and sleeping bag on the floor to clear the area. Leitjin tried to catch her attention but she scampered off into the hallway again. Christina then walked out wearing shorts since she wasn't about to get tangled on anything and ruin things, while wearing a sleeveless green shirt for camouflage. She was about to go yell at Sau'Nak for his intrusion into their bedroom but Marissa pushed her onwards. She wore black jeans and a collared brown blouse while her hair was tied up to keep it out of her face. Her gaze avoided his as she blushed lightly and hurried away with the women to help them.

"I apologize for my interruption!" Sau'Nak called after them but Christina gave him the finger with her arm in the air so everyone could view her hand. What the hell was that sign the human females kept giving him? Was it good or bad? He called out to them in demand, "Will anyone tell me what that means?"

"Go fuck yourself, that's what it means!" she answered for him and stomped off into the hallway after Bianca. He stared in outraged surprise and then glared at Will, ripping his mask off to size him down to a tiny ant with a ferocious glare.

_Why do I always get hurt for her mistakes?_, Will groaned mentally.

"I've been insulted since yesterday and I never knew this?!" he roared angrily but calmed himself when Leitjin waved his large blanket in the air as a reminder to stay peaceful. He growled and kicked one of the duffel bags nearby, not caring that the contents piled onto the floor. He couldn't hurt the bothersome female, that would be dishonorable. . .no matter how sweet it would be. Still, she was the most infuriating creature he'd met in his life. . .aside from Aru'Dre. He was about to kick the clothes again when Marissa popped in bravely to stop him and picked them up.

He scoffed to the male human sharply, "And she is _respected_ in your society?"

"Yeah, and feared as well" Will winced with a nod while Leitjin laughed again. The man sighed and shook his shoulders, "Don't tell me how society works, it's screwed up in my view."

Marissa pulled out a stress ball from one of the bag's pockets and gave it to him with a grim smile, "I'd rather have you use that for your rage than have my clothes ripped and dirtied."

Sau'Nak snorted and destroyed the ball in his grip, its contents spilling out from the first strong clench of his hand. She stared at her item in dismay as the foam rubber fell from the torn seams to the floor and whimpered, "I should've known you'd crush it."

He threw the remainders at the wall as she walked off angrily, muttering, "There's $15 bucks I won't get back. Crazy yautja, I don't know why. . ."

Will dared himself to laugh and advised the pilot, "Relax, we're not at the site yet and you're lashing out. Save the rage until you're on the field. Leitjin, stop laughing, you'll open your wound."

"But. . .it's. . .funny. . .ow!" Leitjin gasped in between laughs before his side began to sting sharply from the muscle contractions. Guess he shouldn't have put himself in the clear yet. He massaged his side with a disappointed groan, "All right."

The group heard a rumbling noise in the air and Sau'Nak replaced his mask quickly. He opened his com-link instantly to demand, "Where are you?"

"We're about to land. . .in a bunch of trees, thanks to you!" Eshin'Ga reported sharply and growled, "We are beginning our descent. You better guide me through this, genius! Shadow, I honestly don't know why I listen to these pups."

He looked out the window and changed his vision mode to detect and zoom in on their ship. He saw it was very close. . .too close actually for a safe descent. . .

"Land now or you'll take us with you!" he barked at them.

"Now?! What do I do?!" Eshin'Ga answered agitatedly and yelled out, "I'm a scientist, not a pilot! Shadow, push that button! No, the other button! Nothing? Oh. . .um. . .what button do I push?!"

"It's a square button on the top left panel, it should change the thrusters to landing position" Sau'Nak instructed quickly but effectively as he watched the sky. He zoomed in on the back of the ship and noticed the change of the heat waves in the air and continued, "Now use the main steering handle and push that towards the console slowly. If you go too fast, you'll nosedive. Got it?"

"Yes, now what?" she answered anxiously and he approved of their slow descent. He heard a few fumbling noises and heard her direct, "Watch the screen, Shadow!"

'_I am watching the screen!_', Shadow's voice popped in and Sau'Nak was glad that she'd finished uploading the language into his translator. '_You're making the ship nosedive! Pull up!_'

Sau'Nak tensed at the conversations and saw the ship struggle for a few seconds as it tried regain its horizontal position without waddling to the sides.

"Fine. . .there!" she retorted and growled loudly, "Now what, Sau'Nak?"

"There should be an upright lever on the console to your right, use it to slow the ship as it lands" he said calmly but inside, he felt like punching something. Too bad he'd already destroyed the stress ball. If he damaged the ship, Bakuub would kick his ass all over the ship. "You're at a good altitude so there's no need to speed up to break through the turbulence. Now, after that, there should be a panel of five buttons right next to it shaped similarly to a vertical bar. Found them?"

"Uh. . .yes. . .I hope" she said, sounding nervous on the line. He sighed and hoped that she hoped she was right as he kept his eyes on the incoming ship. He felt like a father teaching his pup how to walk practically. Except this pup could take out him and his mismatched group.

"Push the first two and when you approach the trees, press the first again afterwards and then push the lever all the way to the bottom where it begins" he instructed and awaited her response over the silent line. He watched the ship graze the top of the treetops from afar with a facial wince but was relieved that she didn't plunge it into the forest.

Her skeptical voice patched through, "All right, the ship is slowing and I'm keeping it steady." She took a moment to release a sigh and then asked, "So you want me to land in the trees, correct?"

"Yes, there is no closer spot" he stated simply and growled when he couldn't get a good view of the forest's interior. All he could do was assure her from his location, "Find a thin area of vegetation. You will be fine."

"And this won't attract ooman attention?" she asked warily in disbelief. "You told me humans are highly curious."

"As long as you keep the cloak on, no" he growled, feeling aggravated by her lack of trust. Did they doubt his skills? He was a better flier than anyone in his group thus far. Grimly, he stated, "You've been on autopilot this whole time, you can land the ship under my directions."

Was it that hard to fly a ship onto a landing zone? He could do it with his eyes closed, for Paya's sake! His own mother had made him land without instructions during his tutelage and he'd lived. He kept the connection open as he announced in English, "The ship will arrive within minutes-"

He heard trees break off in the direction to his right and Eshin'Ga yelled, "I may have lowered the ship too much and we're flying through trees now! I'm killing the wildlife I could be studying!"

Sighing, he then shouted to outdo her voice, "Then turn off the thrusters with the first button, clicking it off, and lower the lever like I told you! Make sure the main handle is pushed securely against the console, not towards you. And-"

The ground shook beneath him and the humans ran out from their room to check out the rumbling. Seeing him at the window, the four dashed up to the window to see broken trees lying around in broken piles with an invisible gap between them.

_It looks like a huge bird's nest_, Bianca thought and wondered how huge their ship was by the large hole.

"We landed!" Eshin'Ga declared proudly over the line. With a relieved laugh, she shouted, "Look Shadow, we did it! We survived our first flight."

"And you took more trees than expected" Sau'Nak muttered dryly to himself as he observed the broken tree lines as wooden debris lingered in the air. In English, he announced, "They're here now."

"Oh, and here we thought loggers exploded the forest" Christina commented derisively and glared at him, "Cut it kind of close, didn't they? This better work or I'm kicking you for getting us into this."

"I don't like you" he declared quietly with a menacing hiss and stared her down. It was taking most of his self-control to not frighten her to death. If he'd been a Blooded Hunter, she'd be a blubbering child begging for mercy.

_Unfortunately, I need them_, he thought sourly.

"Stop it!" Bianca intervened firmly, raising her soft-spoken voice. Everyone obeyed grudgingly and looked in her direction. She was tired from the lack of sleep and worried about their half-baked plan to the point that their arguments were driving her nuts. Her finger pointed to each of them and she stated, "If you're going to work together, you can't fight amongst yourselves like this the whole time. You need to unite, or else. . .you know, death by the government."

Marissa nodded to her and told her privately to go sleep the tension off. The younger woman hugged her and walked away as she looked to Sau'Nak for orders, "She's right so what's the plan, boss?"

He was about to speak but the blond woman cut him off and he fought the urge to knock her down.

"He's not the boss! I am" Christina snapped and yanked her arm to place her by her side. She didn't want everyone befriending the annoying pilot who wasn't that friendly to begin with anyway. If anyone was likely kill her family off in a government plot, it'd be her not some stranger.

_Okay, even that sounds crazy in my view_, she thought to herself. _But I'm not letting him take control of the three of us._

She pointed to herself and exclaimed sharply, "I'm oldest here and they're my group!"

"I'm twenty-nine by your standards" Sau'Nak scoffed haughtily and yanked Marissa to his side but the other wouldn't let go.

"We're twenty-six" Will informed him with a snicker towards their feud.

Both pulled at the brunette until she yelled angrily, "Enough! You're going to rip me in half! Will that make you both happy? Damn control freaks."

"I'm leader and Will is second-in-command" Sau'Nak ordered and Will grinned proudly. Marissa massaged her sore shoulder joints, mostly from the pilot's tight grip, and groaned when he pulled her to his side before Christina could make a grab. He needed the humans to side with him over her on this and he wouldn't fail at it. He motioned to Will with his hand while she glared and pointed out, "He keeps the peace with all of you so no complaints will be made."

Looking to his small group of three. . .plus Leitjin on the couch, he ordered, "Let's go."

XXXXXX

The humans were observing the three yautja warriors like animals ready for dissection while they talked and wrote things in notebooks to one another. Kahet kept his growls low as he heard them discussing the possibilities of their advanced technology being used in their planet, mostly for warfare purposes. They'd tried to ask them questions but the three acted naïve as they used the known language to their advantage to eavesdrop.

In return for their defiance, their bodies were electrically shocked since bullets had little effect on their thick skin. Usually, their hides repelled electrical charges but the humans were able to achieve one within a few hours, probably a transferred weapon from the military. Kahet's skin tingled from the aftershock of the surges on his system but showed no hints of pain except for an involuntary twitch or two from his nervous system. He would not break down to the humans.

_Lowlifes of their kind_, he thought darkly. _We'll find a way out and they'll beg for mercy. I'll enjoy giving none._

"We'll ask again, what are your names?" one of the men in grey coats questioned sharply. Kahet ignored them and looked to the door with downcast eyes. It was closed but outside through the small rectangular window, he could see two human guards in front of it.

_Obviously they want us here at all costs_, he thought.

He looked to Bakuub who had taken an interest in the wall across and had not looked at the humans once to acknowledge them since they entered. Despite the shocks, he'd given them no sign of pain and had not uttered a single noise in response to their torture. Kahet was impressed with his friend's discipline while Aru'Dre had growled a few times, earning him a few more shocks for rebelling.

"You will be confined here until you give us a sound or gesture of understanding" the same scientist said while another readied the electroshock machine for another round.

_Understanding? Hah! You're the ones treating us like insects_, Kahet thought spitefully and glared at the wall.

"Where are you from?" the scientist questioned him but he only gave him a derisive snort in response.

"No matter, we will gain the knowledge of your technology in time" the male responded coldly and signaled to the scientist. "Maybe another treatment will loosen your tongue. If that doesn't work, I'm sure high-pitch frequencies will scramble your brain, literally."

"We want them alive, don't put them in a coma" the scientist reminded sharply.

Kahet noticed Aru'Dre's wrist spring free from its shackle, though it sported a few bleeding gashes from his broken skin. He began to work on his other wrist quickly so he decided to create a diversion by growling at the scientists for attention.

"Oh, he's talking now" one said, taking the bait. "Did you understand us just now, alien?"

Kahet snorted as Aru'Dre sighed mentally at the diversion to keep them away. He wouldn't make Kahet regret it. He moved his wrist to the left and right while putting his thumb and pinkie in front of all his other three fingers. Looking at his hand to see if the top of his hand was perfectly parallel to his wrist somewhat, he began to push his hand up and down. He twisted it in all directions of the metal as his bones pressed against the metal which sent a small amount of pain down to his elbow. He didn't have time for pain so he pulled his fist down as his fingers pressed against each other as they got crushed slightly through the process. He stopped once his the middle of his hand was through the shackle and practically stuck. Carefully, he used his free hand to lubricate the shackle with his green blood to lower the chances of ripping his skin. He then yanked his hand to the side back and forth, swinging it like a pendulum, trying to ease out each side gently but quickly. He repeated the process as he felt his skin rub against the metal, becoming raw and hot after the same movement. Looking up, he saw Kahet's continued growling and the human with the gadget began to shock him.

Keeping down his anger, he kept working on his aching wrist until it sprung free from its confinement. He kept his fingers within the shackles to make it look as if he was still tied as he gave Bakuub a successful look. The older male stared at the chains so Aru'Dre guessed he wanted him to take those off next. While Kahet kept up his diversion, he lowered his hands to the first chain over his chest and pulled at it quietly. It snapped at the same time Kahet roared at the humans so they heard nothing.

_Good thing their backs are turned to me_, he thought. _And good thing they used a crappy metal on the chains, they're not that strong compared to the shackles._

He kept the chain in his hands as he worked on the next one around his hips. Within a few moments, his hands snapped it in two and he was done. Wrapping one end of the first chain over his wrist, he got a quick idea and hoped it worked. He'd trained with whips on the Ade'k'ra so maybe it would be successful. Otherwise, he'd be locked up again and receive his prize of electrical shocks. He gave Bakuub a nod as he raised his curled hand over his head and the older male wondered what his plan was. Quickly, Aru'Dre swung the chain in a whip-like motion and wrapped it over the scientist's throat. The human gagged painfully and dropped his notes to pull at the object constricting his airway. The hunter pulled on the chain swiftly and slammed the human's flimsy body against the wall where it was rendered unconscious. The other male with the weapon came at him with the two steel rods but Aru'Dre used the remaining chain in his other hand to snap it against his face, causing a huge gash to rip open from the force, and he dropped the rods to reach for his bleeding face. The idiot human then decided pick them up with his bloodied hands of all ideas instead of running for his life and Aru'Dre simply used the chain again until the weakling was knocked unconscious from the bleeding gashes and the fact that he accidentally electrocuted himself as he tried to fight him back.

"Dumbass" he trilled and smacked him again so one of the rods could send another jolt through his nervous system.

Aru'Dre let go of the chains and leaned down to grab the metal shackle over his right foot. He gripped it in his two hands and pulled at it with his strength while his foot pressed upwards on the metal. After three pulls, the metal ripped off and he began to work on the other. Once free, he made sure the humans were unconscious and began to rip off Bakuub's wrist shackles since he was closest. Once his hand was free, the stronger male worked on his second shackle and ripped it off quickly like paper with his hand. However, they had to sport the metal bands on their wrists and legs since they couldn't be ripped in half. Bakuub landed on the floor with a crouch after making quick work of his foot shackles and ripping off the chains. He stretched his cold shoulders to get the feeling back in them after laying on the cold metal slab.

"Oh, now you're making me look slow" Aru'Dre joked and ran over to help Kahet.

"About time, you didn't have to be so flashy" his cousin growled as Aru'Dre worked on his hand shackle. He shook his head to clear out the pain shooting up his spine to his skull as the other yanked the metal in the opposite direction.

"Of course I do, it's my style" he answered with a tired grin and ripped the metal off, almost losing his balance but managed to lean forward to stay upright. He showed him the metal shackle and shook it humorously as he trilled, "Thanks for the distraction."

He helped Kahet with the other since he had created the diversion for him in the first place and didn't want him wasting his energy. The three still needed to escape the place itself and take on the humans, they would need all their strength. They had no idea where they were and wanted their stolen belongings back. Not only would they be in trouble if they lost them, they could be executed for it. Bakuub decided to help as Aru'Dre tore off one of Kahet's foot shackles and he worked on the last on his foot. Eventually, the three were free from all restraints. Aru'Dre then walked over to the two humans and twisted their necks to ensure their deaths. Unlike the other two, he claimed his payback no matter how long it took and enjoyed doing it.

"Electrocute me now, you bastards" he trilled sadistically and dug his claws into their soft necks until they stopped at the blooded white bone. The warm blood felt good on his colder fingers and he was about to rip out the spine as his hand traveled down the vertebrae but Kahet kicked him on the butt. The hunter turned with an angry growl as his bloody hands clenched, "What the hell? You should be happy I'm doing this! Don't kick my ass, it's the only part of my handsome body that hasn't been bruised yet!"

"Would you stop thinking about yourself for a second?" Bakuub hissed at him and the younger male rolled his eyes, giving a swift kick to one of the dead bodies for added pleasure.

"What do we do? If they're watching us, reinforcements won't be far" Kahet asked firmly, looking at their leader. The cold room tingled his bare skin and he growled irritably, "And we're in our loincloths. That's just perfect."

Aru'Dre slanted his hips to the right and smirked, "Maybe they liked our bodies. I am a delicious devil to the fairer sex. You think there's female scientists around here?"

Bakuub growled at him to shut up and ordered, "Sneak up on the guards outside and take them out."

They nodded obediently and walked to the metal door while Bakuub closed his eyes to think of a plan. He had no idea where he was or the schematics of the place. They were practically lost in a maze! No matter, a smart hunter always found his means of successful escape. Seconds later, he heard muffled voices followed by a sick crunch.

_That was quick_, he thought.

"Damn, I guess I'll think of a plan as we run" he mumbled and ran out the open doorway to meet the two. Aru'Dre wiped his bloody hands on the clothes of the dead humans while Kahet searched them. Looking at the bodies, he asked Kahet, "Do they have anything useful?"

"Ancient weaponry?" he grumbled dismally, raising a small handgun of sort. The thing was useless in their larger hands and he doubted he could fire a good shot with it. He threw it to Aru'Dre and said, "Your hands are small, you can use it."

"Stop insulting my hands!" he exclaimed angrily and threw the weapon at the wall. Instead of giving off a metal ding, the gun fell to the floor silently. Bakuub walked over to the wall and placed his hand on the material curiously. The walls seemed to be made of soft material, almost like. . .

"Is this some kind of paper?" Kahet asked, touching the material under his fingertips. At first glance, the wall seemed solid but up close it was papery and flimsy under his touch. Perfect for breaking through. "It's thin. Maybe we're not in a building! We could still be within that forest!"

"Those idiots used destructible material for the outside shielding? I guess their budget only allowed for heavy guard inside the rooms and transportation" Aru'Dre cackled and poked at the wall. "Stupid oomans. Did they really think we wouldn't try to escape?"

"We need to find our things first so-" Bakuub ordered and tore the material open with his claws. He ripped it to create a gaping hole to fit all of them through and the night sky greeted them outside. The three males saw the forested environment outside and dark tents littering the area with the same material also. Kahet and Aru'Dre instantly hated the scenario since their sight was at a disadvantage but Bakuub ordered them anyway, "They have to be around here somewhere. Come on, move quietly behind me and don't straggle behind."

XXXXXX

"These are the oomans?" Eshin'Ga questioned suspiciously as Sau'Nak boarded the ship with the three humans and Leitjin in tow. She watched the aliens stare at every object in awe as they followed the pilot and they stopped when they caught sight of her.

The three cousins stared at the tall alien female in front of them. She was even taller than Sau'Nak! She was curvier than him and her covered chest was a dead giveaway for her gender unless males liked to cover their torsos fashionably. Her skin was of a red-orange tint while her long locks were tied back by a metal headdress. Unlike Sau'Nak's dreads which were sectioned off at the scalp and exposed skin, her hair was simply dreaded in the same manner as human hair except the hair follicles were more ropier and thicker than theirs. She wore an ankle length skirt with slits that stopped near the waistband and a tube top with no armor in sight unlike her male counterparts. Her yellow eyes studied the humans as they did the same in return.

_They don't look like much but I hope they can fight for their sakes_, she thought unimpressed. _And my brother, which I doubt will be pleased._

_She looks like an amazon_, Marissa thought, flabbergasted. _I'm surprised Will isn't drooling at her._

"Yes, they will aid us" Sau'Nak spoke with a nod and then pointed in the direction of the cabin close by. He knew she was skeptical and he'd been the same also, still was, but he would make their lives hell if they betrayed him. In English, he informed her, "The last human is staying. She is much too timid for battle. If you need anything, go to her. She's a bit skittish but very helpful unlike _some_."

Will chuckled for his switch to English on purpose and his sister turned red from anger.

"If you're gonna insult me-" Christina began but jumped back when she saw a black skeletal alien sprint into the room on its two legs while its body hunched slightly to the front. Its tough slick skin was navy and consisted of an exoskeleton but the main attraction was the banana shaped head that held no eyes but razor-sharp white teeth behind a thinly lipped snout. She hid behind Will with wide eyes and shrieked, "What the fuck is that?!"

"I apologize for her, she has a mouth like Aru'Dre" Sau'Nak gritted out to both his teammates and sighed mentally. Humans seemed too vocal in his view so far, especially the females. He regretted the idea of bringing them along already but he needed the numbers. He growled at their fearful faces and explained roughly, "Oomans, these are my teammates, Eshin'Ga and Shadow. As you can see, Shadow is a different species from us but he travels with us. He will be accompanying us also and I expect you to follow his orders back here if I am incapacitated."

"Leitjin said no stragglers will be left so we'll be watching each other's backs" Marissa pointed out firmly and placed her hands on her hips questioningly, "Right?"

Will moved his hand in front of Shadow's line of vision and broke in before he could answer her, "Can. . .can he see us?"

_I wonder if they have more aliens around here_, he thought with intrigue. _I've already met two within hours, this is amazing._

'_Quite clearly actually_', Shadow spoke and heard the humans cry out in surprise. It was similar to his first meeting with Bakuub's group except Aru'Dre had yelled out 'kill it!'. He circled the humans as he observed and familiarized himself with their scents to minimize the chances of attacking them in the heat of battle. Marissa cringed as he sniffed around her torso while Will grinned at the up-close alien. He sensed their apprehension and continued, '_My voice is in your mind. It's a telepathic mechanism for speech among my own kind since we have no advanced vocal chords to distinguish language_.'

"We can talk later about our physiologies but right now, we have a mission" Sau'Nak interrupted them briskly and headed deeper into the ship without waiting for them. "I must prepare my weapons so if you want to borrow any, and even that is a rare honor among our people so cherish it, you may follow me. Shadow, I will call you once I'm done."

"You sound like Bakuub now" Eshin'Ga said dryly in their tongue and grimaced. "Don't do that, it's a bit creepy. You're serious enough."

"I wish I could talk like them" Will whispered to his relatives, who were staring at Shadow, mainly then end of his sharp tail. It was a shame they only spoke in sounds and guttural noises, he could rarely hear formed sentences but it made him curious about it. "Even if they called me ugly, it would sound kickass."

"I'm glad he's on our side" Christina said to Marissa hesitantly, completely ignoring Will's awe. The other woman nodded silently and both gasped when the odd alien dashed away into a hallway on the right at an alarming speed. She gaped at the spot where he'd disappeared to and told her, "He's like a cheetah. Hell, he could run and eat the cheetah on the way."

"Oomans!" Sau'Nak barked loudly from up ahead and they followed after him hastily.

_Does he always have a stick up his butt?_, Christina thought angrily as she ran.

"It was nice meeting you" Marissa called out to Eshin'Ga politely as she kept running, careful not to slip or trip over the metal flooring.

"She seems nice" Eshin'Ga said, tilting her red-orange face. She faced the quiet Leitjin who hadn't said a word since he entered and scolded him, "And you, you're getting medicine into that system before you go out there. You're lucky Sau'Nak's allowing you, if I had a say, I'd keep you here."

"Yes, mother, I plan on it" Leitjin mocked and walked off to his med station before she could retort.

The three humans tried to keep up with Sau'Nak's long strides as their footsteps resonated over the metal floor. They were in awe that they were actually in a real live spaceship at that very moment as they stared at the walls. The whole ship seemed to be made of metal but others held rough cement-like surfaces in some parts which held inscriptions and designs over the walls. Sau'Nak noticed their curious ohh's and ahh's and couldn't help but feel lightly amused and proud that his species was indeed superior.

_Just like pups on their first visit to a hunting vessel_, he thought.

However, he reprimanded sharply, "Don't touch anything."

"Will we be able to use your weapons? They could be different from ours entirely" Marissa spoke up to make conversation and ran up to his right side. The air inside was a bit lighter and definitely more humid, making her breathe harder as she trotted to keep up with his pace. She covered her mouth as she felt her clothes stick to her; hating the similarity of running through a steamy sauna.

_No wonder Leitjin packed on the heavy blanket to sleep with_, she realized. _They must live in hot climates._

Sau'Nak broke into her thoughts as he replied, "Yes, we are not the type of aliens with laser guns as you make us out to be." She shot a soft glare at Will for his Star Trek beliefs on other life but the pilot stunned her by proudly saying, "We have those kinds, yes, but we are more into techniques that require harnessed skill like spears, blades, and such. Intelligence must be accompanied with physical strength."

"So we won't use Star Wars lasers?" Will asked, his lips pursing in disappointment. Damn, he wanted to explode a bunker and create a dramatic movie quality scene. Oh well, maybe he'd learn how to use the alien weapons without cutting himself up or before the feds shot him full of lead. Marissa laughed at his sulky expression and he groaned, "I wanted to shoot something and look like an Imperial Stormtrooper. Now I have to do something cool from the Middle Ages without getting shot. That's like using a slingshot to take down Robocop."

"You're crazy, you know that?! How did you land a degree with all your made-up fantasy lands?" Christina exclaimed angrily and smacked her brother upside the head. He'd gotten them into this crazy scheme in the first place and he couldn't act serious yet? She would be ready to tell him 'I told you so' when the first bullet whizzed past his head.

"I copied Mari and I can put major effort into things when I want to" he said simply with a shrug and went over to touch a decorative wall inscription. The material was gritty and a bit humid but his curiosity grew as he said out loud, "It's similar to a bas-relief with the architectural era instilled and cultural background, like the Templo Mayor of old Tenochtitlan in Mexico or the carvings of the Banteay Srei temple in Cambodia."

"Uh. . ." both women deadpanned, staring at the man for his first intellectual comment of the night.

_Okay, so he's not an idiot most of the time_, his sister relented.

"I took architecture and archeology classes to help with my major" he admitted discreetly to them and made a fist against his chest to choke out, "My weakness."

"He's a strange one" Sau'Nak said with an expression similar to the women and they nodded knowingly. He shook his head in disbelief and reminded himself they needed to leave there quickly to reach the site on time. Beckoning to the humans, he continued on his path, "Now come."

The two women dragged away their ogling cousin and followed Sau'Nak deeper into the dark ship as the foggy air hissed below their feet. It was hard to see as he walked deeper into the back of the ship and Marissa noticed that another area was above them as her eyes peered through the tiny slits of the floor as the light brightened up above. Christina grabbed onto her and grit her teeth as she struggled in the dark and muttered, "You better not be taking us back here to eat us."

"I wouldn't dare to eat any part of your bony and germ-infested body" the pilot shot back maliciously and she tried to punch him, only receiving a fist full of air.

"It'd be best to demonstrate the weapons to her, I don't want you two going all mortal combat on us and dooming your friends" Will told him as he followed from behind and popped out a flashlight from his jean pocket to switch on. He pointed it to the floor and smiled, "There we go, much better."

XXXXXX

End of **Chapter 5**. As you can see, humans and yautjas will never see eye-to-eye on most things but when they need to keep themselves safe, they adapt. . .though the yautja won't like it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy how the story's going and if it needs to be tweaked somewhat, let me know so I can give you a better reading experience. But if it's pleasing you guys, I'm glad. Thanks as always to my reviewers and readers, I always take your input and incorporate it into my stories to keep them going. Okay, so in the next chapter, the two groups will meet as they go against the feds. I've never liked those feds, ever since Predator 2, so you can see I enjoy killing them off.


	7. Hooray For Surviving Gov't Rebellion

CHAPTER 7:

**Hooray For Surviving Government Rebellion**

* * *

A gray Nissan truck stopped in the middle of a darkened forest path and cut off the engine. Two doors opened quietly as the three cousins stepped out quickly to check on their alien companions in the back. The sky was dark and riddled with nightly stars as the humans squinted their vision to see since the use of flashlights would give them away at four in the morning.

"Enjoy the ride?" Will grinned as he approached them. Leitjin mandibles were chattering against his teeth since he hadn't adjusted his thermal mesh before hopping into the car and he'd been afraid to let go in fear of flying out. The engineer patted the metal of his car proudly and smiled, "It's human transportation at its best. Way better than the gassy fume cars that were banned in 2012."

Sau'Nak's claws were digging into the metal as he sat at the front of the truck and let go uncertainly, leaving thick claw marks embedded deep in the metal. He did not like the whole concept of driving through the forest while the vehicle bounced up and down while he wondered when he'd accidentally get thrown off and break his neck. Leitjin had cuddled up against a corner of the truck and held onto its side but not as much as his paranoid cousin who left the metal completely dented underneath his hands. He climbed out carefully and shook his head to shake off the dizzying whirls that had passed by as they'd driven, trying not to trip over his own two feet. Shadow simply hung onto the back as his feet kept sliding the whole time causing him to slip and flail his tail around for balance. He felt as if he was trapped on a never-ending ride filled with oil, his limbs unable to grasp anything. He gave a joyful screech once the vehicle stopped and simply leaped out onto the ground, in which his sharp feet happily dug into for comfort.

"No! It was completely awful" Sau'Nak growled nastily and jumped out quickly over the side. He had never been so happy to have his feet on Earth's ground. Reaching back into the truck to grab his weapons, he continued, "Next time, drive carefully before we fall out."

'_I am a. . .little. . .disoriented'_, Shadow said, using his tail to shake his body to clear his mind and not fall onto the ground from the loss of equilibrium. '_For once, I could not keep my claws attached on a surface. It was most unnerving.'_

"I liked it" Leitjin said with a small shrug to sympathize with the humans while he made sure his plasma caster was operational. He tested his targeting scanner on the trees nearby and Christina swatted him away when it landed on her stomach. Since he'd become a medic, he never thought he'd use weapons against any species but the situation called for it. His brother was reason enough for him to fight.

_If father could see me now, he'd throw me a celebration and show off my kills_, he thought jokingly.

"Grab your weapons" Sau'Nak ordered and scanned their perimeter for safety measures. The group had stopped at the trail where Christina had spotted the other males the day before and with the ship's computer, they scanned the land until they found a cluster of biological signatures close to the site of the others' disappearance. They had zoned in on the safest area to begin their attack from and the closest getaway. Leitjin gave each human their chosen weapons, instructing them to make sure they had the correct one and not to misfire. Will grabbed his scattergun and made shooting motions into the air happily while his sister growled and hit him behind the neck with the hilt of her chosen sword.

"Chris!" he cried out and nursed his throbbing neck.

"Do I have this on right?" Marissa asked the two yautja as she held up a gauntlet with attached wrist blades. Her wrist was small compared to the previous owner of the silver gauntlet and she was struggling to put it on, especially in the dark. That and she didn't want to stab herself too.

_The last thing I need is to get injured before I'm even there_, she thought. _It's hard enough latching this on._

Sau'Nak sighed in frustration and suddenly felt like a parent teaching his pups about weapons. Unfortunately, his pups would've been smarter and they wouldn't have aggravated him. He walked over to the female and grabbed her petite hand into his in order to shift around the latches and dials to make it lock onto her wrist. Since she practically had the forearm of a yautja child hitting adolescence, the weapon stayed very loose. She jiggled the gauntlet warily and stared at him unsurely about it.

"Be careful with it, my cousin will not appreciate it if you lose it" he told her sharply and gripped her wrist to stop her hand jiggling, giving it a threatening squeeze. She was thankful for his help but he didn't have to be rude about it. He'd only gotten crankier since they left the cabin and she gave him a glare as she yanked her hand out from his grasp.

"Fine, if I die, you can rip off his beloved weapon from my cold dead hand" she snapped sarcastically and walked away angrily to join her cousins. Did he have to be so cold to everyone, even when he claimed to be 'helping'? Muttering under her breath, she hissed, "Jerk."

"You have no social skills with people" Leitjin snickered out loud as he helped Christina in the same manner, except she was completely civil to him unlike Sau'Nak. She didn't see the need to argue with the friendly alien and became engrossed in every latch he connected on the gauntlet.

"I'm serious, if they lose any weapon, our technology will fall into ooman hands somehow and I will not allow that" he stated firmly and walked away from them. Leitjin was too trusting of others, he partly blamed it on his profession, but he would never be that way with aliens. He snuck over to the edge of the hill to take a peek and scan the areas below.

"Are they down there?" Will whispered to him instead of yelling as he came up from behind. Yautja hearing was acute compared to his so no one had to talk loudly to make a point across. Also, he didn't want to piss off the pilot more than he already seemed by hurting his ears.

"I can't say but it's close enough to begin our search" he responded as his visuals scanned the visible area in the distance and zoomed it in using a different vision mode. There were about eleven tents in total and he could see vehicles similar to Will's as well and others without a top portion. There weren't many armed humans guarding the base, probably due to the night, and knew it was time to strike. Looking back at Will, he ordered, "We must go now."

"Everyone remember the plan?" Christina asked everyone as she looked over the sharp spear she'd been given as a secondary weapon. She grinned excitedly but realized she was stroking the weapon too much for her liking. She was a business woman, not a medieval knight ready to kill dragons. Clearing her throat, she ordered smoothly, "Remember your positions! Will, Marissa, Leitjin: diversion team. Shadow, me, and Grumpy Sal here-"

"My name is _not_ Sal!" Sau'Nak barked venomously at her insult and clenched his fists.

"Will be the offense team" she finished stiffly and glared at him for cutting her off. She narrowed her eyes as her nose wrinkled in displeasure at him, "Do _not_ interrupt me. You will give me the same respect I give you!"

_Who the pauk does she think she is?_, Sau'Nak thought angrily.

"You don't give me any respect since we've met, insect!" he growled maliciously and withheld from striking her as his shoulders tensed. He leaned down to meet her eye level and hissed, "And you are _not _the leader. I'd kill you right now if my laws allowed me to."

"Maybe you two should be in separate teams" Will said nervously, glancing between the two whose bodies were twitching and aching to destroy each other. "The last thing we need is you two killing each other on the field."

"I can handle my priorities, she is another insignificant matter" Sau'Nak snorted and gestured into the woods on their right. Christina opened her mouth for rebuttal but Marissa elbowed her in the ribs to shut her up. "We will follow this path _silently_ and quickly. I want a single line formation starting with me, Will, Leitjin, Marissa, Shadow, and then Christina."

"Why am I last?!" she demanded angrily and crossed her arms over her chest. Here she was risking her life and he was acting smug and arrogant! Her teeth grit and she pointed out, "Shadow should watch the back, he's crafty-looking and way stronger!"

_Should I take that as a compliment?_, Shadow thought as he waited for them to come to an agreement.

"Because I'm the leader and you piss me off" Sau'Nak smirked sadistically and trilled roughly. He pointed a finger in her face and hissed, "Cross me again and I'll leave you stranded in the forest. Think of that as punishment."

"You sure he's not your leader?" Marissa whispered to Leitjin, who nodded back with a chuckle of amusement. She beckoned her cousin to move away and for Sau'Nak to go forward in a calm tone, "Let's play nice and after this is over, we can fight all we want."

Christina growled but said nothing in return as he began to lead the group into the dark brush. Her inner demon lashed for vengeance but she knew he could crush her with one punch so she kept silent for self-preservation. Grumbling, she muttered to herself as she walked, "What do I look like? A baby?"

She looked to Shadow as he stood tall on his legs and he returned the glance with his eyeless face. She gave him a wide smile and asked sweetly, "Mind if I take your spot? You're much stronger than me and I don't want to get mauled by a bear by accident."

'_Go ahead'_, he allowed simply and waited for her to move forward with a satisfied smile.

XXXXXX

A muffled shout went off inside a tent and seconds later, a bone crunching sound was heard. Aru'Dre dropped the motionless human body onto the floor without care and squinted his yellow eyes to see inside the tent. All he could see, which wasn't much in the darkness, was a table with papers and scattered weapons. Throwing the stuff aside to clear himself a path, he broke the weapons he found on top of plastic crates to release some fury.

"Where the hell are my things?!" he cursed in his language as his golden eyes narrowed furiously.

"Stop making noise and hide the corpses" Kahet ordered quickly as they tucked away the bodies behind the gray crates. Looking at Bakuub, he said, "This is getting us nowhere. We may have to split up and search each tent alone to speed up our chances of escaping."

"That's what happened to us the first time, I'm not getting caught again by those assholes" Aru'Dre retorted angrily and showed them his blood caked wrists. His mandibles opened to show his fanged mouth and he spit out, "Those oomans ruined my beautiful skin and they will not touch it again!"

"Those are good points, except for your so-called looks, but obtaining our belongings is the main objective right now" Bakuub spoke calmly but glared at the tent walls with a snort. He needed a good plan for his vision lacking friends to suceed and crossed his arms.

Aru'Dre scoffed at his friend's obviously wrong insult on his handsome appearance and muttered, "Pathetic creatures."

"Good thing most are asleep, it's nighttime here and their vision is poor" Kahet said, blinking his eyes repeatedly. He really hated his human vision at times when it left him at a disadvantage but his hunter's logic reminded that it gave him a challenge to conquer. He batted it away irritated and growled, "Just like mine and useless. I can barely see anything past ten feet from me. I need to get my mask back."

"Me too" Aru'Dre grumbled whiningly and crossed his arms in annoyance to huff, "That's one reason why I'm against splitting up. My vision and Kahet's suck worse than my brother with a spear- completely shameful and hilarious."

"Thank you for pointing that out, again" his cousin growled and resisted from kicking a table in the tent in his direction. He did not need Aru'Dre picking at their faults during a tense moment. The green hunter sighed and watched the darkened treetops below the grayish-blue skyline to ask, "What will we do? Unless something distracts their attention-"

Multiple sounds rang out into the night as Kahet's sentence broke off. The three strained to hear what it was but light footsteps in the fields began to cover the sound. Great, the humans were awake and on alert now.

"Whatever it is, it has their attention" Aru'Dre pointed out with a curious glint in his eyes and grinned at Bakuub, "Should we make a run for it?"

"They'll be drawn to it but they'll be on high alert for anything" he answered crisply and the three crouched as dark human silhouettes passed by the tent, their guns cocking as they headed towards the forest. The trio stayed quiet in their crouched spot until it was clear and stood up.

"Do you think it's Sau'Nak?" Kahet asked, standing up cautiously. The thought of him safe meant Leitjin wouldn't be far behind in the same condition. He wanted to find his mask quickly to establish a connection but it would be tough even recovering the item within the many tents. He peeked out through the open doorway and told them, "They could be looking for us as they use the night for cover."

"Our objective is still the same" Bakuub ordered simply, shaking his head. However, he did feel slightly relieved that his comrade could be the one creating the noise. He never thought the pilot would have the leading abilities to command a group but he'd been surprising them lately. Usually, he was all knowledge and logistics. He gave them a grim smile and stated, "If it is him, let us not waste his distraction. We'll begin searching each of these tents, if that fails, search the vehicles and interrogate the humans if possible."

"So we're splitting up?" Aru'Dre whined, groaning as he gripped his head to grasp his hair. "Will this horrible adventure never end?! I'd rather fly through the trees as a huge monster barrels towards me with huge gaping jaws!"

"No one cares about your daydreams" Kahet muttered and stretched his legs to begin his run around the compound.

"It'll be more thorough and we need the time" Bakuub said and peeked outside the tent cautiously. No humans were in sight and the signatures he could see were off to the right where the noise had come from. He motioned for the two hunters to follow him and murmured, "Let's go."

XXXXXX

"It's working!" Will called excitedly to the others from his handheld communicator. Sau'Nak had given one to each to attach onto their gauntlet since masks were out of the question for them due to their lack of mandibles.

The three had begun their diversion by sending explosives into the clearing and tents. They were stationed behind the tree lines and used them as coverage while they ran to different areas to throw different detonations in order to attract attention. Sau'Nak and his team had already gone into the makeshift base while they began their bombardment to give them better access. Luckily for them, there seemed to be a lack of military personnel but people were still carrying weapons to fend off trespassers.

"I know it's working, just keep doing it!" Christina ordered her brother in return from her end. She scolded him gently, "We're near a tent so don't call us directly, I don't need your voice popping up to alert the enemy. We'll call you, okay?"

"Fine, spoilsport" he muttered as he chucked another handmade explosive into the clearing without looking. The weapon flew silently through the air but once it touched the ground, it practically made a crater upon impact. Raising a dark brow, he said dumbfounded, "Didn't look like one of mine. Mines were fire. . .at least I think they were fire."

Looking down to his ammo in the crate, he realized he'd thrown some that Sau'Nak had supplied them with for added protection. Nodding to himself with a grin, he laughed, "Oh, that explains it."

_Those yautja mean business_, he thought impressively and took another look at the smoldering crater.

"Move, Will!" Leitjin blurted through the communicator receiver and he listened with his instinctive duck, courtesy of his fight or flight response. Plus, he wasn't about to get shot next to a tree instead of dying a heroic man. Actually, he didn't plan on dying at all and kept running as he hauled his small crate under his arm. Running off to his next surveillance spot, he made sure to use the trees as cover before any government guys saw him clearly on target and shot.

Leitjin's explosive went off into a group who immediately flew over the field from the impact, their smoking forms crashed onto the grass dead. His cloak hid him easily in the trees from any firing ranges but he felt bad for his human allies since they had none. Unlike Will and Marissa who held more explosives, his task was mainly eliminating any humans that came near the border of the forest to ensure their safety and escape route. He climbed onto the lower branches of the tree to aim and fired his scattergun at any humans approaching him or his comrades. Surprisingly, as an adolescent, he enjoyed playing in the simulation rooms with Kahet as he trained and had used the scattergun and plasma caster since he was an average shooter with it. Back then, it was for childish fun but it didn't seem so exciting now. The adrenaline his species loved pumped through his bloodstream and it steadied his nerves to hold onto the weapon as he surveyed the field carefully.

"You're good at this, Leitjin" Marissa cheered supportively to him from her end. "Keep it up."

"Thank you, this is my first time actually using it" he trilled, his ego lifted by the comment, and instantly shot a human square in the chest the next second. He stared in surprise to his sharp reflexes since his hands were the most skilled. His medic side called out to aid in the field but he knew those beings out there would rather torture him than seek peace. He didn't like battle or the idea of fighting so he wouldn't be laughing like Aru'Dre when he mauled something in revenge. He hoped Sau'Nak would find them quickly so he could stop killing and get out of there.

Marissa dodged a bullet as it grazed the tree making her heart practically jump into her throat. She'd almost gotten shot! Her body was pumped with adrenaline as the explosions went off and she tried to keep herself safe for as long as she could. This whole idea was frightening but she'd already come this far to chicken out. Her heart beat inside her chest like a jackhammer as she tried to hide herself from the armed men. She didn't know where they were coming from due to the foliage blocking her view and grit her teeth.

"Leitjin, I'm being fired at!" she called tightly into her communicator as she pressed her back against the rough bark of the tree to hide. Seconds later, she heard two shots and bodies hitting the ground with a thump. She peeked over the tree cautiously to see two figures lying on the floor no more than twenty feet from her. Her mouth opened with a small whimper as she sighed in relief and wiped her sweaty forehead with a shaky hand. Quietly, she breathed against the gauntlet gratefully, "Thanks, Leitjin."

Within the wide clearing, Sau'Nak ran through using his invisibility cloak to keep him hidden in the darkness and bypass the scampering humans. Their heat signatures were off the chart with hostility and he signaled every few minutes for his partners to hide. Christina and Shadow stuck together a few feet from him, ducking behind the tents, as he led the way carefully. Shadow tore a tent open with his sharp claws and before the humans inside could attack, he pounced onto their forms as his tail impaled one straight through the sternum and his deadly toothed tongue slammed through the other's skull in one move. Christina stared in awe and shock at his lightning speed and fluid movements. Shadow simply spit out the bone and brain matter, the taste wasn't appealing at all, and shook his head.

"I am so sticking with him" Christina announced in amazement while she looked around the tent for anything suspicious. The faster she could find the alien tech and armor, the sooner she could escape the current nightmare. She sifted through the crates and table but found nothing except papers. Aggravated, she ripped them up and asked, "Do we take any papers?"

"I will leave you in charge of that" Sau'Nak informed from outside and looked straight ahead where the other two couldn't see. The two waited for orders and he motioned with his hand to the side to say, "Shadow, go with Christina through the other tents and look for the others. I will do the same but on my own."

'_Separating is a risky move while in hostile territory'_, Shadow pointed out calmy and walked out of the tent. He sniffed the air in the direction of the other tents and continued cautiously, '_Can you handle them by yourself?'_

"I will try but finding the others is our top priority" he stated confidently and began to leave, his body fading against the tent fabric with his cloak. "Now go."

"You better not die or Leitjin will be more sad and I don't like him sad! I'll cut off your balls if he whines!" Christina yelled, sticking up for the other peaceful alien. He reminded her of Bianca too much, so in return, she wasn't threatened by him and saw him as a comrade easily. Even if he was an extraterrestrial.

Sau'Nak simply snorted and ran off to the left by himself to continue his tracking. He knew Shadow would take care of things on his end and keep the human in control. Besides, he enjoyed working alone anyway- mainly why he didn't want a co-pilot who would blab nonstop to him. His visor checked the air for any pheromones relating to his kin and followed a faint but noticeable trail in the air.

Christina sighed at being left alone with an unknown alien while the other cranky alien was supposed to be the leader. What kind of leader leaves his crew? Whatever, she wouldn't dwell on it while she was in the midst of enemy territory. She looked to Shadow and asked, "Where do we go?"

'_Follow me'_, he supplied and raced out of the doorway to another tent as she was left gawking at his speed again.

_I got a speed demon_, she thought and shrugged carelessly. _Better than nothing though._

She followed in quick haste after him and hoped they'd live through this or else she'd be sharing a shitty coffin with the black alien in a half-decent hole in the middle of nowhere. Surprisingly, she liked this alien better than the grumpy Sau'Nak whom grinded her nerves since meeting him. Shadow wasn't as directive and snappish, which gave him a positive smiley sticker in her book. At least she got along with him without complaint on both ends so there would be no arguing any of his orders.

'_What are the human weak spots?'_, he asked her as they ran side by side through the night. She watched the tents and open areas cautiously for any armed men to pop out and surprise them.

"The chest, mainly the left side, the heart's there" Christina explained quickly and grabbed a scattergun from one of the nifty belts Sau'Nak lent them to hold onto their weapon. Her spear would be useless in long range and she doubted it could stop a bullet with her aiming skills. She pointed to her head with an index finger to say, "The head is also one, one shot there and you're dead. Then the torso if all else fails."

She spotted a dark blob to her right in the dark and they shot at them instantly. Shadow dodged the bullets easily with his agility while Christina dropped to the floor in surprise and the instinctive reaction of fear to the sound of bullets. Cursing at herself for the weak moment, she glanced up to see Shadow use the tent for support. The xenomorph jumped onto it in seconds, bounced off, and caught the human overhead instead of attacking him head on where he could get shot directly. He clamped his jaws over the human's head and simply crushed it under his strength with his teeth. The body collapsed instantly under his feet and he jumped off to spit out the bodily residue from his mouth as the corpse twitched. Christina winced in apprehension to the mangled body and shook out the quivering in her hands, not liking the way her body was reacting against all the action.

Christina didn't make eye contact with the dead body but complimented his superior skills, "That was disgusting but freakin' awesome!" Cool or not, she was not going to look at that dead body and make her hurl to add more injury to her pride. She didn't need to embarrass herself more in front of the alien warrior and hoped he didn't think she was a coward. She bit her bottom lip and looked at the floor as she muttered reluctantly, "I'm sorry I didn't help, Shadow. I froze. You could've been hurt and I stayed back like a pathetic coward."

'_I can take care of the enemy but I need you to watch my back as I do it. Battle is never easy but this will be your only time, it all comes down to survival'_, he accepted, knowing for his studies that human civilians were squeamish and could go into shock from combat. _'I will watch over you so stay behind me and shoot anything that heads our way.'_

She nodded grimly, planting in her mind she wouldn't fail him, and he shot off to the right again in which she almost threw her alien gun onto the floor.

"You're way too fast" she grumbled tiredly and tried to keep up with his speed, promising herself that once she was back home she'd indulge on high-calorie food for all the cardio.

Sau'Nak ran through the tents, slicing at any pesky human passing by, attacking or not attacking. They were all the same to him: inferior, bothersome, and mindless prey. The less that encountered the others, the better. His cloaking had helped in the night and he'd been sneaking into the tents to see if he could find anything. So far, he'd only found one interesting tent and luckily, he'd gained the combi-sticks and shurikens the others had brought. The armor, however, was not there and he assumed it would be in another damn tent.

_This is getting irritating_, _I'm not a mindless hard meat running through a maze_, he thought as another human ran by and he slammed his combi-stick into its torso to kill it out of rage. He simply ripped out the weapon as the human fell dead and continued walking, giving it no attention.

Another signature popped up behind him and he turned around quickly to scan it. This was getting _really_ irritating. He'd make this one suffer before-

"Aru'Dre?" Sau'Nak exclaimed at seeing his cousin half-naked in front of him. His wrists were caked with dry green blood while his body was bruised in the torso area but he still grinned like an idiot. Only he could manage to survive in a hazardous zone with only a loincloth on. He ran up to give his older cousin a hug making Sau'Nak growl in displeasure from the physical contact.

"Don't touch, it sickens me" he muttered but his voice held no threat. He simply nodded to Aru'Dre in greeting and wiped his shoulders, not wanting any droplets of blood or bacteria to latch onto his skin.

"For once, I'm happy to see your ugly face!" the hunter cheered in relief while rolling his eyes at the other's unpleasant greeting. However, that changed once he caught a glint of silver on the pilot's back. His face broke into a bigger grin as he stared at his weapons and thanked, "All right, you got my weapons back."

Sau'Nak snorted derisively and said dryly, "Yes, I decided to plan a suicide mission to retrieve Bakuub and Kahet, unfortunately, you're now in the equation." The other hunter merely trilled to ignore his tone as his hands ached to hold his weaponry. Firmly, his cousin snapped him out of it and questioned, "Where are the others?"

"Beats me, we decided to find our stuff solo while the pests tended to your distraction" Aru'Dre answered with a shrug and Sau'Nak gave him back his weapons before the younger tackled him for them. Laughing deviously, he declared, "Time to take out the scum. . .Wait, if you're here, who's blowing up stuff?"

He hesitated, knowing his cousin hated anything different than their kind, "Leitjin made ooman allies and I let them help us with this. One female is with Shadow, one male and another female are with Leitjin at the borders maintaining the perimeter. We must find the others before reinforcements arrive."

"No problem, I got my babies back" Aru'Dre trilled undeterred to the news and stroked his weapons lovingly as a hunter would to his mate. Sau'Nak guessed the they calmed down his inner rage and heard him purr, "We're going to have fun, aren't we, precious?"

Sau'Nak rolled his eyes and went deeper into the campsite while Aru'Dre followed eagerly from behind, twirling his spear between his fingers giddily. At least he'd found one of them. Now they just had to regroup, grab their technology, and make it out safely. . .

_Easier said than done_, he thought grimly and growled loudly when he felt a sharp tip press into his back.

"Twirl that thing again and it's going up your ass!" the pilot reprimanded briskly and yanked the injured hunter along by his dark dreads.

XXXXXX

"My caster's almost out" Leitjin informed his two comrades as he jumped out of a tree to land onto the ground on his butt after missing a branch. Oh, how he hated trees! He stood up with growl, patting his sore tailbone, and was glad none of his friends had seen that. He was pretty sure he'd give the most disgraceful warrior impression in any battle by the end of it all. He ran through the forest and hid behind the trunk of a tree as he tucked searched his belt for any good long-range weapon but found none.

"I'm out of explosives" Marissa added into the mix and sighed, "We can't hold them much longer but we can't bail on them."

"There's weapons piled up from those dead guys so we can restock on ammo" Will told them, making up a plan as he used one of his last six explosives to set fire to a nearby tent. Fire scattered everyone but the Yautja explosives were the ones who packed a punch and he had to use them sparingly. He watched the dead bodies scattered over the clearing and took a moment to realize that the sun was entering the clearing to give them a brand new day. That was not good for their advantage. He spoke to the others to share his idea, "If Mari and I can grab a few, we can go inside and help the others while Leitjin makes sure no reinforcements are brought in. Trust me, you'll be able to handle an automatic sub-machine gun, it's like your scattergun. . .except you need to use more bullets to kill people off."

"Sau'Nak won't like that, he gave us strict orders" Leitjin objected quickly and shot another human down that entered his line of vision. He grimaced as blood splattered over the field and looked away to climb onto another safer tree. It was much easier to climb than to descend.

He didn't want to endanger the humans more than they already were but their plan was cracking at the seams. Sau'Nak would also be furious and he didn't like an angry Sau'Nak with dead humans. He groaned softly and spoke, "I don't want you two in the middle of a danger zone. You're civilians, enough said."

"We're changing ourselves to action heroes then" Will restated hastily, making Marissa sigh on the communicator and groan in complaint to his tactics. He knew it sounded crazy to the others, part of his adventurous self thought so, but he knew their clock was ticking and they needed to wrap this up before reinforcements could trace them into the forest in the light. His next order almost made her scream at him, "Mari, I want you to get a gun and either head in there or patrol the trees. You're a smart gal, you'll figure something out. I'll do the same and head in there anyway to go help as backup. Leitjin, I want you to cover us the whole time, all right?"

"I like it better when you're goofy" she muttered nervously, clutching her gauntlet close, and agreed, "Fine, but I'll head inside too. I'm not letting you and Chris endanger yourselves while I stay back here."

Leitjin interjected with a mumble to himself, "And I get left behind? No fair."

"You're already injured so as lieutenant, I order you to keep guard" Will said to him, hiding a grin. He'd just ordered an alien to listen to him. Every sci-fi geek would be dying of envy right now if they knew. Shoving the moment out of his mind, he concentrated on his task and scanned the area. Leitjin didn't say otherwise so he took it as a clear sign for go. He took a deep calming breath before shouting, "Now!"

Marissa bit the inside of her cheek nervously as she shot out quickly into the open land and looked around to spot a weapon, never wasting a second. Running over to the dead bodies piled over the ground, she grabbed an automatic firing rifle hanging on its sling from a limp arm and two small handguns lying on the grass. Her gaze avoided the bodies, hostile or not, they were still living beings and she'd give them respect. The image alone would give her nightmares for days. She placed the small weapons in her belt and kept the larger in her hands which had begun to sweat slightly in response to the danger waiting ahead. However, she felt confident at using one of her own people's weapons rather than the loose gauntlet. The thing was likely to fall off before she could attack someone and the rifle heightened her chance of survival.

_I don't know how the military does this every day_, she thought fearfully.

"You're both clear, go!" Leitjin yelled out to them. He saw both humans had gotten their weaponry and made sure they wouldn't dally out in the open. "Keep moving!"

Marissa spotted Will off to her right and the two ran forward to meet up halfway. Apparently, her cousin decided to go with two small handguns instead and had the one she'd chosen strapped over his shoulder. Her face was a mix of fear and gutsy bravery while his was full of excitement and energy. Honestly, it scared her that he was so into this while she wanted to run in the opposite direction until she hit the coastline.

"Doesn't this feel like a video game in your mind?" he asked excitedly with a grin and lively eyes as they ran. She could only gape at him in horror at his fresh demeanor and was about to scold him but he continued with a pant, "If I live through this, I am so designing a game after today! I could have the yautja be the heroes."

"You're insane!" she shrieked as she tried to understand the gun she held. She wasn't familiar with firearms at all! The closest she'd come to a gun was using it in a video game! She wanted to scream at herself for doing this and for not being able to now how to reload a gun. Hearing a shot in front of her, she looked up startled to see that Will had shot down a guy in front of them. She'd been so busy thinking she didn't even focus on him! Her eyes widened in shock and she stared at him nervously to stammer, "H-How'd you do that so easily?"

He flashed her a grin before answering simply, "Duh! Video games!" and with that, he kept running. She scrambled after him, keeping watch this time, as he told her, "You need to hang out at my place more often. This gun is practically like the shooting consoles used in the gaming systems. It's almost like a subliminal message to join the military. I mean, they're so realistic, you might as well be living it!"

"Obviously it backfired and created their anti-hero: you" she panted, managing a smile as she ran. The gray sky bugged her visibility in the near dark but she could make out the tents perfectly. Suddenly, the tent next to the two exploded and the two cousins were thrown off in effect and separated by the smoking crater in between where the tent had been. Marissa gasped loudly in realization she'd almost been killed and rubbed her warm arms that had survived the searing heat of the blast. Will grumbled into the grass and shook each limb to make sure he still had them, shaking his head to take out the ringing.

"I hate explosions when I'm in them" he mumbled and ran a hand down his face caked with dirt.

Leitjin voice popped out over their link with worry and apologized, "Sorry! I found some extra explosive in my pocket and aimed too low. I won't use them anymore."

"Leitjin!" Marissa shrieked angrily as she stood up shakily from the impact and wiped her face to breathe in deeply. At least she wouldn't have to fear projectiles from Leitjin for now. She scrambled timidly to the crater, expecting her older cousin to be ashes, but found him safe on the other side. She loosened her tense shoulders in relief and told herself not to cry; they weren't dead yet.

Will stood up in alert after telling the medic to save the explosive as a last resort. The alien medic _really _wasn't suited for battle. . .like at all. But he wouldn't tell him that, he was a decent alien pal. Looking around for his cousin, he found her at a distance and waved to her to assure he was okay. He saw a group of armed men headed towards him and hurried to find a tent to hide inside for a quick ambush.

"Run, Mari, I got company" he warned her quickly through their com and entered an empty tent. He found tables and crates and wondered how to make this to his advantage. He ordered the woman to leave for her own safety, "Find Chris."

"But-" she argued.

"Now!" he snapped forcefully. "And be careful! Don't freeze up! Use the old rule: Shoot first, ask questions later."

She gulped anxiously and listened to her older cousin regretfully. She didn't want to leave him alone but getting shot wouldn't help either of them. All she could do was pray that he'd be all right. Running away from his location, she tried to keep hidden behind the tents while watching for any sign of the others or the aliens. She ducked into each tent to stay hidden for a few moments and to catch her breath during her fast runs. She peeked outside carefully to not be caught off guard again and get shot. Her gunslinger cousin was gone and she was on her own.

_I still have a Master's to finish and I'm not about to die after doing all those units_, she thought worriedly. _I hope I don't get post-traumatic stress after this. I feel so tiny in this huge area, how can I find them?_

She noticed a black blur pass through the field not too far away and could only assume it was Shadow. In affirmation, she saw Christina running after him while waving a spear around like an Amazon. Even she was in the fighting spirit while her own couldn't shoot off a gun. Maybe she could aim a knife and hope it went through their eye or something. Groaning dejectedly, she decided to run after her crazy relative and left the temporary safety of the tent. Running quickly to see if she could catch up to them, she saw a government fed in black on her right corner. Oh no, she'd been spotted! Her finger pulled the trigger involuntarily and fired repeatedly until the guy went down. Seeing the blood pooling around the body, she winced at the reality that she'd just committed murder on an unknown person. She could go to jail for this! On the other hand, if she hadn't, the guy would've shot her and she'd be floating up in heaven with an angry scowl for her early demise. Her hand shook over the gun slightly but she sucked down her nerves and continued onwards.

_It's done and I can't look back on it_, she thought grimly.

Will watched the group of men approach his tent and he crouched behind a gray crate as he held his breath to make no noise. If video games and paintball had taught him anything, it was how to conceal himself in a natural environment. Once they were in range, he gave himself a quick silent prayer and fired upon each of them until the clip was emptied. The ones who escaped the barrage of bullets shot back at the tent but he used the crates in front as a shield as he reloaded from the swiped ammo he'd emptied from the guns. When they decided to come inside to corner him, he quickly finished them off as they popped into the entrance. Wiping his sweaty forehead, he took a deep breath again before heading out. Looking to the left and right carefully, he decided to head right in direction to the north where Marissa had gone.

_She didn't get extra ammo and she's sure as hell going to need it_, he thought.

Leitjin watched from the treetops again from his end and made sure no humans were trying to exit his end of the perimeter but Will and Marissa had taken care of it for him. Now, all he could do was sit on a branch and await their return. He was on edge since he let the humans go on their own without Sau'Nak's consent. He didn't have any authority and was sure he'd be reprimanded for allowing it. Maybe he could use his injury excuse for not chasing after them. . .no, Sau'Nak was too smart for that. Maybe they would find the others faster with the added numbers and they would leave faster than they'd intended. Oh, how he wished he was back on the Ade'k'ra where he was safe in his uncle's med bay, eating sweets while he was on break.

"The oomans are out there now" Leitjin informed his cousin reluctantly over their com-link.

"You let them go?!" he snarled over the line and Leitjin winced from the loud volume. He heard the pilot mumble incoherently before growling, "Damn it, they better not ruin this for us or I will skin them myself. I found Aru'Dre and we're looking for their armor. Where are the oomans?"

"Heading north" he answered, watching their small signatures in the distance with his thermal vision.

"Hmm, maybe they'll meet Shadow up there" he muttered grumpily and cut his line before the medic could have a say.

_At least he found Aru'Dre_, Leitjin thought to himself. _I wonder if Kahet's all right. I hate the suspense of just waiting here. _

Marissa ducked behind an unmanned jeep as she saw two guards idly pass by. She was trying to avoid fighting at all costs to save both her life and theirs. The idea of getting shot was not a pleasant one and she wasn't much of a shooter. Correction: She was an awful shooter and had thought she'd be better at it after so many hours in first-shooter games against Will. She tended to put too much bullets than needed into her victims while having a shaky grip throughout it. She walked quietly around the car, hunching over to avoid detection, and heard the two men shout out.

_Oh damn, I'm dead_, she thought.

"There, kill it!" one yelled to the other as they began to open fire and she gasped, pressing against the metal of the car. After a few seconds, she didn't feel full of lead and peeked under the car carefully to spot three sets of feet. Two in boots and one with no sandals and definitely not human.

She heard an aggressive snarl and realized she was right behind one of the aliens. They weren't targeting her after all! Remembering her mission, she stepped out from behind the vehicle and fired into one of the men's back. The other stayed focused on the creature before him, not even glancing to his partner's demise, but the alien hunter easily overpowered him despite the small bullets tickling his skin. The human and the gun was nothing to him. He crushed the man's neck in one move and tossed the limp body onto the ground as Marissa watched him with wide gray eyes, her fingers frozen on the trigger of her gun as her arms slackened in fear. The alien was taller than Leitjin but shorter than Sau'Nak at 6'8 with green skin and darker stripes adorning his entire body. The face composition was the same except his hair was brown but she couldn't see his deep-set eyes under his thick brow ridges. When he noticed her presence, she saw they were of a bright emerald and he growled harshly at her with open mandibles.

_Mandibles that can rip skin off_, she thought in panic as she tried to speak but couldn't. _What if he wants to kill me instead? _

"Ooman!" he barked and stomped over to her furiously as she jumped away in fright.

"Wait!" she called out bravely, licking her dry lips to keep her mouth hydrated. Her heart beat insanely as she raised her hands up peacefully. He didn't falter in his steps and she explained meekly, "I'm looking for you and your two friends. Sau'Nak-"

"How do you know him?" the male demanded in a deep but clear English voice. His brows were furrowed angrily and before she could dodge, he grabbed her by the throat and the gun fell from her hands. His hold wasn't as tight as she expected but she was sure he'd only need to squeeze lightly to crush her windpipe. She gulped in a whimper as he demanded, "Answer me!"

"We came to rescue you" she choked out in panic, feeling tiny under his fierce gaze as his eyes met hers. These aliens were fearsome with an attitude to match. He kept his face grim in disbelief to her claim but she made no movement to rile him further. In a shaky breath, she told him, "He made this plan after I found him in my cabin yesterday. I don't know where he is right now but your friend Leitjin is at the edge of the forest-"

His grip tightened and she squealed as he questioned gruffly, "Is he all right?" She nodded in agreement hastily and he released her with that simple answer. She swallowed the spit that had accumulated in her mouth and backed away from him. His gaze softened at the female and he pointed out, "I have to make sure who's my enemy in battle. I wouldn't kill you unless I had to."

"Tell that to my pounding heart" she shot back and patted her chest to ease the poor overworking muscle. "I'm here to break you out, not to die at your hands."

He snorted amusedly and raised a brow to ask, "Why are you armed? Yautjas can legally kill armed beings without remorse which is why I grabbed you in the first place. My friends and I can't distinguish between good and bad humans, you all pretty much look the same."

"How can I rescue anyone without it? I'd have to be an idiot to walk in here like I'm taking a stroll" she said firmly but then became nervous again by his stature as he leaned down to observe her petite form, "Except for you, you could take on anyone with your pinky alone. And we don't all look the same, okay, that's an insult and very egocentric of you."

_Oh no, I have a Sau'Nak female_, he thought in dismay.

"You are not siding with these other oomans?" he asked to double-check as he pointed to the dead men. She refused to look at them and picked up her gun off the floor to sling it over her shoulder.

"No, otherwise I wouldn't have shot one for you" Marissa stated and heard shots off in the distance to her left. Her two thoughts were of Will and the Leitjin. Worriedly, she said, "We have to find the others in the group and the rest of your friends. Leitjin cannot hold those men back for long, he's running out of ammo and he's not a perfect shot."

_Leitjin's fighting?!_, his mind yelled in surprise.

He began to head deeper into the base and spoke, "I must find my armor." She nodded worriedly as she glanced back in the direction of the forest and he glanced at her gauntlet suspiciously to point at it and ask curiously, "Where did you get that?"

"Sau'Nak let me borrow it, said it was his cousin's and he'd give me hell if I lost it" she answered dryly and held out her hand to him. With a smile, she suggested, "I can't take it off but I'm sure you can use it, especially since you're unarmed."

He nodded in agreement and grabbed her hand into his to unlatch the gauntlet off. Despite he'd threatened her with death before, she didn't make a bad partner so far. She darted her eyes back and forth nervously to keep watch as he worked. Sparing him a quick glance, she asked softly, "Who are you? Bakuub, Aru-"

"Kahet, Leitjin's brother" he introduced himself and took off the gauntlet with ease due to her slim wrist. He placed it over his own and locked it into place perfectly without budging. Her mouth went into an 'o' shape curiously and he added in, "It's mine, that's why."

"I'm glad I could return it to its owner" she said lightly, sparing a small smile.

He raised his mandibles upwards which she guessed was their version of a grin and nodded. Remembering humans needed assurance, he patted her head and consoled, "I won't harm or kill you."

She blinked blankly but took his word on it, "Er. . .thank you, Kahet."

She spotted another gray suit in the distance and before she could aim well, Kahet fired two shots from his gauntlet. She stared in astonishment as the person fell down dead. Why the hell didn't Sau'Nak give her instructions on that thing? Oh well.

"Let's hurry" she rushed nervously, glad he was on her side now. He began to run and she kept the pace at his side, trying not to fall behind his long strides. Why were all of his kind so tall? She took in a breath and smiled, "I'm Marissa by the way."

XXXXXX

"Thank god I found you!" Christina cried happily and hugged her brother tightly. The next second, she let go and smacked his shoulder, "Why the hell aren't you at the border?!"

He'd been running and shooting guys non-stop before stumbling into Christina's and Shadow's area of their search. He panted as he caught his breath, massaging his bruised arm- for a thin woman, she had the strength of a boxer- and wiped his forehead.

"You guys need help and we're getting nowhere, that and I need a bottle of water" he pointed out tiredly and looked at Shadow, who had his snout in the air as he stood up at his full height. He wondered what the navy being was doing but didn't ask to not interrupt his thing. Christina gave him her bottle that she had strapped on before heading in and he guzzled it thirstily. She grimaced as drops dripped down his chin and he let out a burp once he finished, giving her the empty plastic bottle. She smacked him on the head with it and he groaned, "How come you got to spend a battle scene with an alien partner? I want one, I'm the sci-fi fanatic."

She noticed a bag slung over his shoulder and pointing to it, "What's in the bag? I hope you didn't go on a treasure hunt."

With a wide grin, he declared proudly with a thumb to his chest, "I have single-handedly retrieved the lost armor of the hunters and have it safely in this bag. Yep, I'm that good. You can praise me and say how wrong you were about this whole thing."

She snorted derisively, watching Shadow, and told her brother, "Whatever, it's probably just trash so you can lug the bag around and smack people." His jaw dropped when she smirked, "It'll be on eBay soon enough selling as 'authentic alien armor'."

"Go ahead and look, Ms. Doubtful!" he argued outrageously and opened it to shove the contents under her face. Christina rolled her eyes at his spastic fit and looked inside to find silver armor with some weird mesh material and a bunch of sandals. She also noticed some odd looking masks similar to Sau'Nak's and gauntlets.

"This is it? It looks like their laundry, not some high-tech gadgets" she blurted out annoyed and grabbed her brother's arm as he closed up the bag again. This was the special all-powerful armor every wanted to get their hands on? She couldn't wait to smack Sau'Nak for this crazy runaround and decided their part in this was over. "We're done here, let's go."

"Hold on a second" Will said, swatting her hand away and she walked off to scout the area as Shadow was practically catatonic in his pose. He touched his communicator to access the pilot's link to speak, "Sau'Nak? I got their armor, tell me what you have so far."

"All of it?" he asked, his tone riddled with surprise that a human could be that thorough. He restated firmly, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, unless I'm missing underwear or something" he joked with a grin and heard a shot off in the direction his sister had gone. He began to run to that spot but Shadow stopped him by placing his tail in front of him to block the path. A few moments later, Christina returned with a grin on her face as she patted her scattergun proudly. He breathed in relief and gave her a glare before speaking with the pilot again, "I found the armor in a small tent full of cargo and ammo after drawing the guards out. Made easy work of them with your handy explosives before they could attack. Good thing is they hadn't shipped them off to the scientists for analysis. I have Chris and Shadow with me so what's the next order?"

"Might as well regroup now" Sau'Nak stated and opened his channel publicly to order, "I have one of my comrades and our weapons. Will has our stolen weaponry. Everyone else, respond!"

A calm voice entered the link, "Kahet reporting in with my partner, Marissa"

"Brother!" Leitjin's voice called cheerily with relief. Marissa laughed at his peppy tone from her shared communicator. "I'd really like some backup soon."

"We'll be there soon, buddy" Will responded, hoping it would ease the medic.

"Where the hell is Bakuub then?" Kahet demanded out loud irritably. Firmly, he asked them, "Do you think he's been captured again?"

"He better not be, I'm getting tired of this stupid runaround!" Aru'Dre's voice butted in and was smacked away by his cousin. "Ow! Sau'Nak, stop hitting me!"

Shadow suddenly hunched back down to shift his weight onto his legs and turned to the left. He hissed to the humans to follow him and they went instantly as he took off like a speeding bullet. Will tried to keep up with him while still listening to the conversation and lugging the armor around.

"We must leave, we've lingered too long" Sau'Nak told everyone from his end. "Kahet, you're in charge, what do we do?"

"I. . .I can't just leave him" he said, hesitating with his words. "But I cannot risk your lives in this either."

"Whatever you decide, Kahet, I'll follow" his cousin said and sighed. "Decide quickly."

Shadow kept sniffing out the familiar scent his nose had picked up a short while ago. While the humans had conversed, he'd tried to put a lock on it and chased it down quickly. Before his exile, he'd been an elite tracker for his Hive but now, he rarely used his sensory ability unless he needed to find a teammate. He ran on his hind legs to make it easier on the humans to follow but his sharp turns and speed still didn't help. Using his tail, he made an indentation in the dirt with its sharp end so they could follow the trail while he kept his chase. He turned left and right, stabbing humans with his tail along the way and left the twins to make quick work of them. Eventually, he skidded before his tracked target, digging his claws into the dirt to stop his momentum. Looking up at a yautja male that sat on top of a pile of dead humans, Shadow hissed softly to catch his attention.

"About time" Bakuub muttered, seeing the Kainde Amedha in the clearing on his own. He stood up, leaving an his butt indentation on a human spine, and smirked, "I wondered how long it would take you."

'_Seeing as this is a new planet, I will still keep my record of locating you within 6.47 minutes'_, he replied simply but clicked softly in friendliness. '_The others are waiting for you per Kahet's request.'_

"Kahet can never leave me behind, can he?" the reddish male trilled in amusement but nodded to be led by the other male, "Where do we go then?"

The human twins arrived on scene and caught their breath when they noticed the large alien in front of them. Christina groaned and hoped he wouldn't be like Sau'Nak and more like Leitjin. However, the annoyed look, bulging muscles, and stiff stance crossed out the nice guy idea. Will managed a friendly wave but the bag was killing his shoulder and back. The two stared at the tall 6'10 reddish alien who didn't look pleased to see them and narrowed his yellow eyes at them.

"Who are they?" he demanded sharply from Shadow in his native tongue. He was tired of putting humans out of their misery for the last hour and the two that stared at him without blinking were grinding his last nerve.

'_Allies, they've been helping us since yesterday'_, Shadow informed simply and the other male glanced at them distrustfully. The navy alien uttered a wheezy sigh from his throat and insisted, '_Trust me, they were worth the aid, Bakuub.'_"So you say but I'll make my own judgment" the hunter replied and turned away from the humans in which Christina was about to snap for his callous manner but her brother stepped forward. He'd seen Shadow ready to take off and wanted to catch a few more seconds.

"No more running" Will groaned and opened up the bag he held. He walked up to the hunter cautiously and showed him the contents, saying, "I don't know if you can understand me but I found your armor. Don't kill me because I didn't take it and I don't want it. You can have it now if you want, personally the weight's killing my shoulder."

"Stop babbling, he probably doesn't understand" Christina scoffed and Bakuub hissed at her menacingly. She stiffened and jumped back in surprise to squeak out, "Or not."

He grabbed the bag instantly from Will's outstretched hand and found his mask at the top of the pile. Placing it onto his face and locking it in place, he breathed in his beloved air. Earth's air was gritty and lighter to breathe into his lungs. He grabbed a piece of his upper body armor and put it on to protect his body from any more incoming bullets. He didn't need the rest for now and began to run, motioning for Shadow to take the lead.

"No fair, I'm gonna get lost" Will whined, watching the two agile beings run off, and opened his link again as he trotted after them. Christina yanked him by the collar and dragged him along as he whined, "It's not fair, they have those long lean legs while I have these short tiny little hooves!"

"Shut up and keep up" his sister retorted and smacked him back into reality as she took position in front of him as he caught up to the two aliens.

Will opened his com-link again and told the pilot, "Found your leader. He's not much of a talker."

"Great, let's go now" Leitjin piped up, breathing out a sigh of relief. "My caster's out and I can only use rocks now. Even those are running out and they'll only be rendered unconscious."

"Everyone meet up at Leitjin's end" Sau'Nak instructed everyone. "Let's hope no more ignorant oomans get in our way."

XXXXXX

"Don't let them escape!"

"Get them!"

"Chase them down!"

Angry human voices trailed after the group after all of them had finally met up and were heading to meet Leitjin. While running, Bakuub had handed out the armor like Christmas presents to their owners who were more than happy to be reunited with them. The three hunters still ran barefoot but they didn't have the luxury to stop.

"Our government is really starting to piss me off!" Christina yelled, from her place between Shadow and Will. She was sweaty, bruised, cranky, and her leg was getting a cramp. She'd lost her sweater to a puddle of blood, not her own, and her shoelaces were untying despite the double-knot. Today was NOT a good day. She grit her teeth and screamed, "You'd think they have better things to do like run the country!"

She let out an irritated snarl when she heard cars engines from behind as they began a chase but Bakuub and Sau'Nak quickly used their casters to bring them down. She had to hand them that, they were crafty with that caster to blow the hell out of things. However, their retaliated attack didn't stop the entire base from chasing them down by foot.

"You'd think. . .we were sale items. . .at a clearance sale" Christina panted tiredly as she wiped the back of her hand over her forehead. She wasn't meant to run this long without a good rest and her cramping legs were a warning that she needed to stop soon.

_I feel like I'm running a damn marathon!_, she thought.

Suddenly, Will yelled out, "Incoming!"

He grabbed her by the arm and dodged an oncoming barrage of bullets aimed at them. He felt one strike his upper arm making him curse out loud to the blinding pain. His sister cried out as she saw the blood trailing down his arm and Shadow jumped, grabbing the two siblings in his arms. He dodged the attack by making a zigzag line over the grass and jumping out of the shooting range, his agile form faster than any animal on Earth. Will clutched his arm to compress the open wound and smiled weakly, "Thanks, Shadow."

'_No worries'_, he replied and let them go free once the firing stopped. He kept his pace close to theirs for protection since Will was now injured and could collapse from the blood loss.

"Will, are you all right?!" Marissa yelled worriedly and tried to run over to him to help. Her body almost froze in her run at seeing one of her cousins injured. The reality that they may not make it out caused her to reach out to her family to protect them. Kahet, however, quickly yanked her back to his side by grasping her arm as she objected, "He needs me!"

"You'll only get shot, stay at my side" he ordered firmly and kept a tight grip on her arm. She thinned her lips in displeasure at his objection but obeyed.

"They'll keep chasing us into the forest, think of something!" Christina yelled at Sau'Nak while linking her arm through her brother's so he wouldn't fall back. They were close to the end and she wasn't losing anyone on the field, much less her own flesh and blood.

"I'm not in charge anymore!" he roared back and looked at Bakuub for orders. He thought the job would get easier but the mismatched group had him shoving the position back into his leader's hands. Hell, he was overjoyed to give it back!

_Great, we keep switching through leaders like underwear_, she thought frustrated and glared at the pilot. _These guys need to make up their mind!_

"We can shoot some of the trees with the caster and set them on fire" Bakuub spoke, thinking of the quickest idea that came to mind. His team needed escape before being shot down and captured again. "It will buy us some time."

"But that could put the whole forest on fire!" Marissa objected defensively and the male growled at her insubordination.

"It's either that or we die" he pointed out to her sharply and she backed down in opposition. He could already see the females of this planet were more prone to arguing than the males. To shut her up, he stated, "And I am the leader of this group, not you, ooman."

Marissa was about to argue but Kahet covered her mouth and pulled her to his other side to block her from them. She growled under his hold and he eased, "You should be more worried about getting on fire."

Her eyes widened in realization and she murmured, "Oh no."

He grinned and grabbed her wrist as he picked up speed across the field, "I'll protect you, our skin is very resistant to environmental elements."

Christina scowled at the reddish hunter and said loudly, "Great, this new boss is grouchier than Grumpy Sal-"

"I am not Grumpy Sal!" Sau'Nak bellowed furiously, fighting the urge to shoot her down and call it a weapon malfunction. Will then waved his good arm frantically to gain their attention.

"I still have three of Sau'Nak's bombs" he told them, digging into his jean's side pockets and yanked them out. His right arm stung as he grasped the explosives but took the pain without faltering with his words, "We can use these to stall them and then we can use his fire idea." Marissa glared at him but he ignored her; he was always for the environment but he had a group of his own to protect and family always came first. He shook his head at her and pointed out, "We have no choice, Marissa. We can lose them in the car while the fire spreads."

Bakuub went over the plan in his head, agreeing that it was plausible, and nodded, "Very well. Give the explosives to Sau'Nak." Then to the blue toned male, "Throw them with five seconds intervals in between. That should give us time as I start to shoot the trees down and not have them blow up from the explosives impact. Once we're past the first trees, you'll shoot the rest and create a barricade to block them as you take the back."

"They're shooting again!" Aru'Dre interrupted them with a worn-out groan and ran faster, passing everyone until Bakuub gripped his shoulder to make sure he didn't get too far ahead. He flailed his arms and pointed to the humans, "Damn it, I hate this species!"

"Hey!" Christina snapped at him and narrowed her eyes at his insult. He growled in return and made a fist at her but Bakuub covered their view before he could say anything else. Her brother moved to give the pilot the small grenades and she stuck with him, making sure to shield him as he ran, until the weapons were in the other's hands. She gave him a firm look and said coldly, "Do not screw this up."

"All of you, run until Leitjin flashes his laser as a signal, then throw the explosives" Bakuub ordered briskly to everyone and picked up the pace. After being dehydrated and prodded like animals, his body was tiring with the lack of fluids but he would not fall into human hands again. He'd die before that happened and gingerly touched the self-destruct device installed in his gauntlet. That idea wouldn't work well at that precise moment since he had a group to watch over and he would not fail them. Even if he had to protect the other humans along the way. He wasn't fond of other beings as his species was taught to do but he wouldn't reject their help. Humans, after all, have aided his people before and Kahet's mother was evidence of it.

_They better not high-tail it once we're out of here_, he thought and decided to trust them.

The group of eight ran without a change in pace while the ricochet of bullets passed over their heads and nicked their feet. Shadow watched over the twins while Kahet kept close to Marissa, both making sure they followed their longer strides without slacking. Soon, Leitjin signaled them with his mask's laser to point out their close distance to the bordering tree line and Sau'Nak launched one of the explosives over his head as his mask's visor aimed the probability of his throw. Twenty seconds later, an explosion rumbled the earth and they heard the muffled yells that lightened as they ran.

After the last explosive was thrown, Bakuub began to shoot the first line of trees repeatedly. Leitjin had jumped off from his perch to avoid being barbecued and jumped onto the ground to take shelter behind the other tree rows to wait for them anxiously. Bakuub quickly guided each member safely under the creaking trees as the final bomb exploded behind them. All of the nine members ran through the forest as Sau'Nak and Bakuub finished shooting down the next batch of trees. The first section burned and groaned in defeat as each tree fell against another onto the forest floor, flicking flames onto the grass as smoke began to envelop the field. Their plan had worked so far and the group kept running down the same path Sau'Nak had made them travel by. The dawning light gave them better access compared to the darkened sky they had journeyed under.

"We have to get to the vehicle to escape" Leitjin informed the recovered members quickly as he and Marissa began to lead the way. She yanked Kahet's wrist to keep them moving as he gripped Leitjin's shoulder, the medic already smiling in relief under his mask to his brother's presence.

"I'm going to drive this time" Christina told Will sharply. He pouted as she dragged him by the arm but he wasn't about to argue in his condition. Her voice carried a hint of covered worry despite her strict words, "You're injured and are way too damn slow anyway. We need speed and adrenaline for this!"

"No! You'll kill us, she-demon" Sau'Nak growled threateningly at her as he ran over the uneven ground. He didn't want to be in that vehicle again, especially if it was to go even faster this time. They'd probably kill him with a neck injury or instant collision before they arrived to the ship.

"Kiss my ass" she responded roughly and gave him the finger again. Cackling, she ran faster making Will whine from behind as he got dragged again. She didn't care for his complaint because the faster she could get him home, the more chance that bullet could be taken out before it created more damage.

_I'll take care of you, little bro_, she thought determined.

"I hate that female!" Sau'Nak growled with a swipe to the leaves blocking his way, making Leitjin laugh out loud.

Bakuub growled at the pilot and reprimanded, "Don't leave any visible trails, Sau'Nak. Keep your head clear!"

The medic looked at his brother to say impishly, "Wait till I tell you about our adventure. I fell from a tree, broke into a home, had an alien sleepover, used a weapon-"

"We need to escape first, little brother" Kahet said gently with a soft chuckle and lightly pushed his brother forward. He was glad that Leitjin had kept himself safe and couldn't wait to leave the dark forest to return to his homely ship.

XXXXXX

End of **Chapter 7**. Okay, a monthly update, sorry about that but you earn the long chapter. I always have some health issues to deal with so you'll have to excuse my body for that. I was also working on other projects for different fandoms but my fanfics will always be number one. I've also gotten into a groove of drawing and am trying to test my skills with how tiny and how large I can draw a piece. Leitjin was my first subject and man, I almost had to use a magnifying glass for that. Anyway, thanks to my loyal readers and reviewers, I appreciate all of your feedback and it's a joy to read your views and suggestions. All right, so the lonely hunters are free but not to fond of the humans but hey, what Predator ever is? It would be OOC if they happily accepted them, except for maybe Leitjin, but they won't be all chummy. They may have banded together now to protect their own identities but how long will the civility last?


	8. Can't We All Get Along?

A/N: Thanks to my last chapter reviewers, I appreciate your comments. A slight warning on Aru'Dre's part for some colorful language on this chapter.

CHAPTER 8:

**Can't We All Get Along?**

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"Is this safe?" Bakuub asked warily as the human vehicle rocked unsteadily beneath him and he hung onto the truck's side by digging his claws into it for added protection. Whatever human transportation this was, it was very uncomfortable. The species had invented short-range space flight but they couldn't have decent ground travel?

"Just hang on and you'll be fine" Leitjin replied as he chose the same corner to sit at. He molded his body against it easily and relaxed, glad they were about to leave the forest. Kahet sat next to him and felt the cold metal under his warm hand curiously.

_What an odd vehicle_, he thought.

"So you say, I almost fell out!" Sau'Nak growled sourly and quickly dove for his dented side to resume the same defensive position against it before anyone else took it. Aru'Dre wedged himself into the back and growled about the antiquity of the human vehicle compared to his own technology. Shadow had gone inside with the humans to sit in the second row of seats in the truck since he fit due to his flexibility and slender body. Also, he was nervous he'd slide out of the vehicle due to his lack of holding on.

"Don't diss our car, you've already ruined it!" Christina shot back from the front where she sat in the driver's seat. She put the car into driving gear and practically floored it, making all of the hunters smack into each other in the back. Good thing their weapons were inside the truck or they would've probably shot them off accidentally. Aru'Dre growled loudly as his companions flattened him against his corner.

"Get the _pauk_ off me!" he roared at the four angrily as the metal dug into his back.

"Chris, you're going to knock them out!" Marissa complained from the passenger's seat, which she'd wedged into with Will. She glanced at the recently captured hunters and pointed out sharply, "Some of them are injured."

"The less whining, the better" she grumbled coldly and lowered their speed as the car went over the rocky path of the trail. They had lost the men in suits for a while and were not going to waste a minute escaping. They were all alive so far and that was the best outcome any could've hoped for. She looked to her brother and said firmly, "Once you're home, Bi and Leitjin can fix your wound, 'kay?"

"I wouldn't mind taking a bottle of whiskey right now" he muttered and closed his eyes slightly. His arm had gone completely numb from the wound after Marissa had dug out the bullet with her bare fingers to prevent any infection from the metal while he hoped her fingers wouldn't give him another infection. Cracking a painful smile, he mumbled, "I was an action hero."

"Yes, Will" Marissa chuckled softly and pressed a clean rag over his wound to clot the bleeding. It was the best she could do at short notice and almost regretted telling his sister not to floor it. She smoothed his hair gently and smiled, "You were old-fashioned Rambo."

"Rambo had nothing on me" he mumbled proudly and looked through the window to the passenger mirror to see the aliens hanging onto their truck for life. A crooked smile formed on his lips and he chuckled softly, "They look funny."

"No, we don't!" Aru'Dre shouted angrily and squeezed closer to the car when it made a sudden jump over a rock. His claws scraped the metal and he bellowed at the humans, "We are fearsome warriors of the universe and you should tremble before my greatness!"

"Stop yelling!" Kahet growled at his cousin as he closed his eyes behind his mask. He wanted the whole ordeal erased from his mind and to drink himself unconscious. The back of his head throbbed and he growled, "My head is killing me."

"Leitjin, why'd you get oomans to help us?" Aru'Dre demanded loudly in their tongue. The medic sighed under his mask without looking at the enraged male as he spat, "They're worthless!"

"From my view, they saved you" Leitjin shot back and looked down guiltily. He knew his friends and people weren't keen-no, they ostracized different beings and the four humans were now entangled in this mess. However, he wouldn't let them be badmouthed after all their help and pointed out, "It's my fault they got involved. I was hurt and I needed a place to heal away from our enemies. We were in the oomans home and they found us by our own mistake. They helped us and even agreed to help you so if you can't respect them, you can at least respect their actions."

"I tried not to interact with them but we were left no choice if we were to rescue you successfully" Sau'Nak agreed from his corner, not wanting his cousin to take the full blame in this. He was in command for the time and had listened to their opinions and executed everything on his orders. Quietly, he stated, "What could we do against all of those armed oomans? Marissa found Kahet and Will found your armor so they were a great help. I don't think it was the best approach but it was the only one available."

"Stupid oomans" Aru'Dre grumbled defiantly in English making Leitjin hiss defensively. The hunter dug his claws into the metal as his chest heaved and he yelled, "I don't care what you say, they're still prey!"

"I can hear you, asshole!" Christina broke in as she glared at the rearview mirror with fury in her blue-gray eyes. Her blond hair smacked her cheek as she hissed through the open window, "You owe us big time, you overgrown steroid wrestler!"

"I didn't ask for your help, ooman! I'd rather kill myself!" he shot back cynically with a growl. How dare she talk to him as if she were his equal? Stupid creature. This was all Sau'Nak's and Leitjin's fault for letting them tag along and play heroes. He would've freed himself eventually and they would've torn the place apart, leaving happily with their trophies.

_Argh! My trophies are gone!_, his mind yelled and he slammed his fist against the truck, denting it with the blunt force.

"You damn ingrate" she muttered under her breath as she clutched the wheel tighter, wishing it was the asshole's throat. She gave a quick glance to Marissa and told her distastefully, "I expected a bunch of Leitjin's, not a bunch of Sau'Nak's. The idea of aliens with his attitude isn't making me like space very much."

_How dare she compare me to him! We're nothing alike!_, Sau'Nak cursed mentally but said nothing as his head snapped in their direction. Marissa spotted him and gave him a nervous wave, hearing her tell the other woman to calm down.

However. . .

"How dare you insult me?!" Aru'Dre growled heatedly and tried to climb to the front to maul the human to shreds but Kahet pushed him back to his spot before he trampled over them. His hand reached out to the window and Marissa stared in horror but Kahet shoved the shorter hunter back with ease. He shook his fist and exclaimed, "Filthy ooman!"

"That's it, I'm pulling over and shooting him in the ass! I don't care if I just saved him, he's dead!" Christina declared and began to slow the vehicle down. Her two relatives objected with a sharp but tired 'hey' and she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

_Why do they have to be so goody-goody?_, she thought. _I'd leave these assholes at the first sign of safety._

"We need to go home, just ignore him" Marissa ordered and smacked her leg with her hand so it would go back on the gas pedal. She didn't care about the blonde's spats with the rampant hunter and wanted to get the hell out of the forest to pack and leave the park.

"Please do, it's what most of us do" Leitjin agreed with a hasty nod as he looked over the side where Christina was seated. Sau'Nak, Kahet, and Bakuub surprisingly agreed as he told them, "It's worked for us wonderfully over the years."

"Fine, but one of you should still kick his ass" she muttered, knowing their good hearing would pick it up. Well, at least she wasn't the only one with a problem against the alien.

_Let him hear, I don't care_, she thought evilly and began to drive again. _Maybe it'll shut his big alien mouth._

"Too weak to do it yourself?" Aru'Dre taunted with a cruel laugh and waved a hand dismissively, resting his back against the car smugly. Snidely, he commented, "Oomans are nothing compared to us."

"Ignore him" Marissa repeated tightly, closing up all the windows so their voices could be blocked. She could see her cousin's eye twitch angrily and Marissa tried to lower her boiling point before she tried anything. She patted Will's sweaty forehead with the sleeve of her shirt and persuaded desperately, "Just keep driving. All groups have a jerk in the bunch and in this case, he's a loud one."

"Yeah and I thought it was Sau'Nak" she muttered derisively and glared at the sepia male from her driving mirror again. The sight of him already made her blood boil and she knew her hate would only increase once he took off his mask. Maybe she could slug him and live? Nah, she knew he'd crush her like a soda can and grumbled, "He looks like jolly Saint Nick compared to this guy."

From outside, Aru'Dre strained his hearing and used his mask's advanced sensory perception to try to pick up their words as their lips moved but to no avail. The wind and noisy drive made the speech garbled and muddy. Damn soundproof windows. Clicking his mandibles irritably, he sneered to the others, "I just know that ooman's saying something bad about me and that little one too."

"Christina, yes, Marissa, no" Sau'Nak spoke up sharply as he grew tired of his angry ranting. There was only so much he could take. He glanced at the two women as they argued, most likely about them. Calmly, he stated, "The tall female is infuriating but I don't care if you bother her. The other one is peaceful so leave her be."

"Don't tell me you made friends with them?!" Aru'Dre spat at him repulsively and growled. Out of the whole group, he always expected the pilot to give aliens a hard time when it came to an alliance. Hell, Sau'Nak didn't even trust traders from other species which made him even angrier for his lack of judgment on the humans. He snorted and hissed, "They're nothing but trash! You should fucking know better, Sau'Nak!"

"You're judging them based on those other oomans" Leitjin pointed out quickly as he clung onto his corner. Unlike the hunter, he gave all species a chance and wouldn't be ethnocentric about it. He peeked over Kahet's shoulder to argue, "Not everyone's the same. You can't base one person's behavior on the entire population. If so, my father would've never trusted my mother and the same goes for your parents! Don't forget you're a hybrid as well."

"That's different! It's. . ." Aru'Dre argued instantly but found no basis or evidence for it. Damn. Either way, he wasn't about to change because of the medic's curiosity with other species. He crossed his arms and huffed defiantly, "It just is!"

_Damn him, it always goes back to that!_, he thought and curled his mandibles.

"As long as they're aiding us, we will treat them civilly" Bakuub spoke up as he ordered his crew. He was getting tired of the arguments which Aru'Dre always began and Leitjin refuted. Unlike the two opposing sides, he kept himself neutral and acted accordingly. Calmly, he told them firmly, "They have not treated us rudely or dishonestly and I will trust Leitjin's and Sau'Nak's judgment on this until I see otherwise."

"They're not bad, I like them" Leitjin said softly and tapped his claws together innocently. He didn't want to badmouth the people who had aided him and he'd known them longer than the rest. His flaw was that he trusted others easily, he knew it too, but he didn't want to change it and become worse. . .like Aru'Dre. He looked to his brother and let out a small trill, "They're fun and curious about everything regarding life in the universe. They remind me of mother. I thought humans would be barbaric but I was wrong."

Aru'Dre crossed his arms angrily and broke in, "You're homesick and you're using them to feel better! You're not a child anymore, Leitjin. Grow up."

"Don't speak to him that way!" Kahet roared at his younger cousin defensively and the other merely scoffed despite the obvious threat. He was always on guard about his brother, especially in this situation, whether it was against outsiders or family itself. Leitjin stared at his brother nervously as he hissed, "I will throw you out of this vehicle myself if I hear another word."

"And you! You're always defending him, let him be independent with his life for once" Aru'Dre growled with a bitter bark in his voice. Sau'Nak and Bakuub glanced back and forth, hoping they wouldn't have to restrain the two if a fight broke out. "If you'd let Leitjin do things, maybe he wouldn't have gotten hurt by those stupid oomans!"

Leitjin felt guilty at the grim truth and ignored it as usual, shoving it into the back of his mind. He hated to be picked on and as always, Kahet defended him. In the med bay, he ruled over the patients but his skills with average people in arguments was always weak due to his passive nature. He kept quiet and grabbed his brother's arm to calm him but the hunter only growled deep in his throat. While he was as quiet as a bug, Kahet was a storm that beat anything within sight. He'd always been that way as far as his own memories could recollect and always protected him and Aloun'Da from others.

_Partly due to our genetics and his childhood_, he thought.

"Do not talk to me for the remainder of the trip" Kahet hissed in a vicious tone to his cousin. Aru'Dre simply snorted and said nothing, the other two relaxing as their spat ended. He looked to his right at Leitjin and assured gently, "Don't listen to him. If you like the oomans then I will too."

"But he's right" he muttered quietly and closed his eyes. His fists clenched as he admitted, "I'm awful at everything except medicine."

"No, you're not" his brother objected, hating to see his younger sibling upset. While he controlled his emotions easily, Leitjin was similar to their mother and easily showed them. He clasped his shoulder and stated, "You kept this plan together with Sau'Nak and I am very proud of you. If it wasn't for you, I would still be back there, Leit." Wrapping an arm around his slumped shoulders, he continued with a smile, "I was very worried about you and I'm relieved you're all right, little brother. We'll go home soon and never return here. Father will be proud when he hears you took down qualified prey and mother. . .we'll cross that path when we get there."

"I tried that hot chocolate he told us about" Leitjin said softly while clicking mandibles curiously. Kahet nodded as he listened to him and hoped Leitjin wasn't allergic to anything he'd eaten on earth. Then again, their human genes could come in handy to adapt to the environment. His younger sibling motioned with his hands to show the cup size and explained, "It was good. A little dry after you drink it in the small cup, but sweet. I liked it and father always has a taste for sweets. . .hmm, maybe I got that habit from him?"

"What else did you do?" Kahet asked, equally curious, and also wanted to let him indulge in his experiences to lift his mood. Both brothers got into their conversation and ignored the world around them. Sau'Nak watched them and just knew they were going to get attached somehow to the humans.

_It's Leitjin's nature to pacify and Kahet won't be far behind_, he thought worriedly.

"Damn ooman, stop making this vehicle jump!" Aru'Dre yelled loudly in English to Christina, raising his clenched fists into the air. Raising his voice even higher, he grilled, "I know you can hear me! Don't pretend to ignore me, female! Ignorance will bring your death!"

"I _really_ don't like that guy" she groaned miserably from inside the car and furrowed her brows in thought. She couldn't kill or lay a hand on him without retaliation but there had to be a loophole somewhere. She clutched the wheel as she narrowed her eyes to grin tightly, "I want him to get hit by a bus. An express bus! No, a train! Better yet, a subway!"

She saw a low overhead branch sticking from out from a tree coming up on the path. The branch would graze the top of the truck for sure. . .interesting. Getting an evil idea, Christina smiled wickedly and sped up towards the branch. She'd teach that jerk a lesson for offending her!

"You think if a branch hits him head on, he'll die?" she asked nonchalantly as the passengers noticed her increase in speed. Shadow had fallen asleep during the drive after his nonstop running and gave no answer, only an occasional twitch of his tail. Will gurgled a tired 'I don't know' while Marissa stared at her puzzled.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously, then saw the upcoming branch and received her answer. She lowered her window quickly and yelled to the group, "Duck down!"

The four groaned tiredly and listened, except for Aru'Dre who was about to open his mouth to yell at her for ordering him around.

The low branch scraped the top of the truck lightly but hit Aru'Dre hard over the forehead. He cried out from surprise, fell back, flipped in midair from the impact, and fell out of the truck onto the forest floor. Christina then stopped the truck while his entire group stared at the fallen form of their friend sprawled over the dirty path. Aru'Dre growled to himself from the embarrassment and evident dent on his mask as he tried to shoo away the pain forming in his head. He stood up angrily despite the quick pain to his cranium and growled at the vehicle waiting for him. Bakuub and the others decided to laugh out loud now since they knew their friend was all right. Angry and bruised, yes, but alive. . .meaning he was fair game to laugh at.

"Now that was hilarious" Bakuub trilled as he slapped his thigh to stop the laughter.

"Shut up! All of you!" Aru'Dre roared angrily as his chest puffed out from anger and he held his head as his frontal cortex throbbed in pain. Oh, how he hated these creatures! If Bakuub wasn't there, he'd maul each and every one of them to bits for the female's prank!

_Stupid ooman!_, he thought furiously. _I'll get her back. No one messes with me!_

"Chris, that was cruel" Marissa scolded firmly, looking out the window at the faltering hunter as he swayed in his steps. She would've run out to help him but he'd most likely bat her away and call her something indecent. Her cousin simply laughed harder at his pain and almost matched Bakuub's loudness.

Managing to calm down, she rolled down the window and called out, "Get inside unless you want me to leave you here! I don't like hitchhikers, especially _alien_ hitchhikers."

The hunter grudgingly listened and climbed in unsteadily. His teammates snickered quietly to themselves and he hissed in return to save his broken pride.

"Next time don't insult me when I'm behind the wheel" she continued casually and began to drive again. A small smile spread over her lips and she chuckled, "I can be a vindictive bitch."

XXXX

"You're back!" Bianca called out in sweet relief as her two female cousins burst in through the door. She ran up to hug them quickly and looked at each to make sure they were safe, checking them for visible injuries. For the past hours, all she could think of was them and imagine what horrors they were facing. Sighing, she said worriedly, "Oh, you look terrible."

"We did go into battle, Bi" Christina pointed out sarcastically and shut the door to their cabin without a care. She kicked off her shoes and ran a hand through her short hair to release a tired groan, "I'm filthy and bruised. I need an Advil or a bottle of Vodka to forget all this. And a good hammer to bash that Aru-whatever guy on the head with!"

"You want to kill an alien you saved?!" Bianca gasped in shock and smacked her arm lightly. Christina rolled her eyes at the meek attack and the younger woman scolded her, "I know they're scary-looking and all but they don't deserve to die for it. Chris, be nice."

"I am, I'll be doing the yautja world a favor!" she exclaimed, sure of her statement. Bianca shook her head in disbelief at her attitude and Christina stretched her arms as she looked to the brunette to yawn, "I need a shower. Mari, keep an eye on the woods, 'kay?"

"What about my shower? I'm filthy, I almost fell in a crater" Marissa mumbled under her breath and crossed her arms over her chest while Bianca wondered what they'd gone through. She'd almost gotten blown into chunks of bear meat in that place and would need good medication to wipe that out of her memory.

"I'll make it fast" she assured quickly and ran into the small showering room in their cabin. Marissa sighed as she heard the door lock and grabbed a chair to sit in to relax and put the whole event behind her. It wouldn't be easy but she'd try to at least sleep for the coming night after only getting in a few hours of sleep.

_My brain feels sluggish already_, she thought tiredly. _Adrenaline leaving, norepinephrine kicking in._

"Where's Will?" Bianca spoke up suddenly, noticing the absence of his happy personality, and ran to the window frantically to spot him. Her eyes saw nothing but shaded forest outside. Her voice trembled as she called out, "Mari-"

"He's fine, he's in their ship" she explained gently and yawned from exhaustion. The sun was peeking over the horizon as it was now six in the morning. She closed her dry eyes for a moment to rest in her spot before any more chaos arose. Her fingers rubbed her temples to soothe her head and she yawned, "He was injured so Leitjin's taking care of him, it's a good thing our anatomy's closely related or we'd be worse off without the medic."

"Will he be all right?" she asked quickly and tugged at her sleeves nervously. She knew they were out there in the ship despite their invisibility cloak and shivered at the thought of being in a foreign place all alone. Nervously, she asked, "Will he be safe in there with those aliens?"

_I'd be terrified in there all by myself_, she thought and her shoulders shivered.

"Sure, he was grinning from ear to ear when Shadow was carrying him" Marissa assured with a quiet chuckle. That man was an odd guy, even by her standards. However, she'd never want anything to happen to her family and would be grateful to Leitjin for his help. Her foot tapped against the wooden floor to pass the time as she told her, "He'll probably believe he's reliving Star Wars once Leitjin pumps him with meds."

_But he's one of the nicest guys I know_, she thought warmly. _It's rare for anyone to dislike Will._

"Who's Shadow?" Bianca asked confused, raising an eyebrow. Had she missed one of the aliens as they left? She was barely able to pronounce their names and now she had to learn the new ones just to be polite. This vacation was turning into a regular horror movie!

"Right, you didn't meet him" she said, smacking her forehead lightly. She tried to explain the odd alien to her as best she could, "He's a different alien than the other guys by having a tough navy exoskeleton and haunches slightly forward, like a quadruped. Fast as hell too. His body composition is entirely different than the yautja. You'll probably meet him later but he's seems nice. Polite too."

_A different alien?_, Bianca thought. _How many are there?_

"So they're all in that ship?" she asked warily, looking at the invisible hole in the trees where the ship rested. The debris had cleared quickly but the hole in the ground remained as the ship stationed there. It was eerie to know something was there but couldn't see it with the naked eye. She turned to the brunette and informed her, "I haven't seen it but one of them knocked on my door when you all left. I was scared to death but I couldn't be rude and let the alien wait out there, so I let her in once I calmed down. She. . .well, she talked with a woman's voice. . .anyway, she asked in English what I knew about them and told me to keep quiet about it. I was scared from the warning but her tone was peaceful, just said her part and returned to the ship."

"Obviously, it's for the safety for both groups" her cousin stated and closed her eyes. Her ears had minor ringing from the gunshots and explosions while her arms were covered in bruises. She pulled her hair band off to free her tresses and sighed, "It was scary out there, Bianca, and I'm still on edge about everything. I don't want to know what'll happen if the feds find out who and where we are. I don't know about Chris and Will but I'm not afraid to say I'm scared about all this and the possibilities of the consequences we're now responsible for. This is a lot to handle."

"I know" Bianca whispered and walked over to the broken countertop to boil some water. She didn't know if they'd brought any soothing tea and they all needed it right now. Christina would hit the bottle but the others weren't heavy drinkers so she decided on making hot chocolate to warm them after the cold air they'd been fighting in. She grabbed the small paper box and looked back to tell her, "I was worried sick about you guys. I don't know what I would've done if something happened to you."

She gave her a shy smile and said, "I'll make you guys some hot chocolate."

"Thanks, I think I'll go check on Will while Chris is in there" Marissa said, standing up to stretch her tired muscles. She wanted to sleep for a whole month in silent hibernation after the whole ordeal and stood straight to keep her mind in concentration.

"Will they let you in?" Bianca asked quietly, preparing six cups in case of more company. She didn't know if aliens could drink it but made it out of courtesy. Leitjin ate anything she gave him so far and it satisfied her. Her hands trembled as she opened the paper packets and fidgeted nervously, "They could get angry or-"

"They have to or I'll pull a Chris" she interrupted with a grin and laughed. She hugged her younger cousin to assure her everything would be all right. Bianca was never one for dangers and risks so for her sake, Marissa hoped everything would end soon. She patted her head and smiled, "Plus, I have to take our guns to have them smashed to destroy evidence."

"You handled a gun?!" Bianca shrieked and Marissa quickly ran off before she could question her further.

From inside the hunter's ship, Aru'Dre finished hurling the contents in his stomach into a sink inside Leitjin's med station. The car ride had made him extremely nauseous and he'd barfed the minute he stepped inside the room. Leitjin rolled his eyes as he finished sealing Will's gun wound despite the human's yells when their medicine singed his open and softer flesh. Kahet had patched up his own cuts without supervision and had taken painkillers for his pain while drinking water to revitalize his dehydrated body. Similar to humans, their bodies needed as much moisture to survive and keep their skin from becoming dry. Kahet hated that and his mother had always instilled him to take a bottle of water wherever he traveled to soothe his reptilian skin. Bakuub hadn't sustained much damage to his system and had simply drank a revitalizing drink for his body. Aru'Dre still hadn't gotten treated for his injuries by personal choice.

"This is your medicine?" Will groaned, wincing at his sealed bluish wound. He was surprised at the amazing clotting capabilities and wondered how advanced his kind was. He resisted the tendency to rub the wound and told the medic, "It better heal as much as the pain it brought."

"You'll be fine" Leitjin chuckled with assurance and put away his tools for sterilization later. Inside, his medical mind was jumping happily for having his first alien patient survive his treatment and hoped the male wouldn't have an allergic reaction to the alien substances. He clasped his shoulder and smiled, "Thank you for your aid today, William."

"Don't call me that, it's just Will" he groaned and waved his hands to stop his full name from being used. In work environments, he didn't mind but with friends, he abhorred it. He grinned happily and said, "I'm glad everyone's all right now. I told you that you'd need our help to take down the government. A medic and a pilot wouldn't have done much damage if you'd gone at it by yourselves."

"Even I could've told you that was stupid" Bakuub spoke up gruffly as he finished his drink and threw it into a trash basket nearby. He shook his head at what his friends had come up with and couldn't help but agree mentally with the small human. He snorted and looked at the two to point out, "You would've been killed."

"I would've made a better plan" Sau'Nak defended briskly, his ego insulted by the comment. He hated being wrong and despised it when the fact was pointed out in public. He crossed his arms and deflected, "I tried to think of all the different possibilities-"

"You think too much, that's your problem" Aru'Dre growled mockingly and hurled again into the sink. The whole group winced at the loud retching as the hunter gripped the sink and roared, "I hate ooman vehicles!"

"Would you let me heal your wounds?!" Leitjin demanded with a sharp tone that had brows raising and he grabbed his cousin's arm. The other grunted dejectedly and held out one injured wrist while keeping the other close to the sink just in case. Leitjin injected a painkiller into his upper arm to take away the pain from the wounds and his recent hit. He began to work on sanitizing and sealing the wrist cut while Will looked over the med station curiously.

"It's like a scene out of Star Trek" he mumbled to himself as he felt the warm metal table under his fingers. Sub-heating medical tables? Only aliens could have it. It had padding around the head area for support and there was another bed across his that was complete with white padding. He wondered the purpose that it served and shrugged, knowing Leitjin was at work. There were strange tools everywhere in clear and closed cabinets, drawers, and trays that reminded him of a dentist's. He wanted to explore but shook that thought away since he was in alien territory and a guest only. Turning to Leitjin, he asked, "Where did my family go? I hope they're not planning my funeral 'cause I'd hate to disappoint them."

"They went back to your home" Sau'Nak informed him without interest as he watched Aru'Dre complain to Leitjin about the humans in their tongue. The medic simply ignored his behavior and kept working diligently. Blandly, he stated, "They felt much comfortable in their own environment and returned to assure the little one they were fine."

"Little one? Oh! Bi!" he spoke in slight puzzlement but laughed at the name. Bianca didn't like it when people made fun of her height and he stopped out of respect for her. Shaking his head, he corrected the pilot, "She's not a kid but an adult. Her height's small, yes, but she's only five years younger than me."

"I'm sure she's relieved you're all well" Leitjin told him amicably as he left Aru'Dre to work on his minor cuts. The hunter was always an unruly patient so the medic opted to let him fix injures he could handle. Glancing around the room, he saw everyone was patched up and began to gather his used medical tools for sterilization.

"She's probably making them food while Christina complains" Will assumed by her nature and grinned. He knew she wouldn't dare to step foot inside anything dangerous and being near the aliens made her frightened. Too bad, if only she'd grown up as a sci-fi kid like him then she'd be in there mingling with him. He chuckled and said, "Wouldn't be surprised if she thinks I'm being probed against my will. That's her belief on anything alien, partly to blame on the media. She likes to mother us despite being the youngest. She'll probably make soup for you, Leitjin, since you don't scare her much."

"It was very good and she's very kind" he told his brethren with a chirp and they simply grunted uninterested. Giving Sau'Nak a grin, he joked lightly, "Christina probably has something to throw at you."

"It was an accident!" he reminded sharply and gave him a glare to keep quiet. The last thing he wanted was to give Aru'Dre ammunition to call him a pervert. Leitjin simply looked away innocently and he growled, "Besides, I think Aru'Dre is her newest nemesis."

"Is that her name?! I'll eat her!" Aru'Dre declared with a mad gleam in his golden eyes and raised a fist into the air. He imagined crushing her under his foot while Will raised an eyebrow and hoped his sister would keep away from the short tempered alien.

"You can't eat oomans" Kahet snorted dryly as he rested on one of the padded medical beds. He wasn't tired but it was extremely comfortable to lay on something soft after being chained like an animal. He closed his emerald eyes to mutter, "Idiot."

"Well. . .I can. . ." he hesitated and faded off, trying to think of a good comeback. True, he wouldn't eat humans and cause his human relatives dismay but he wanted revenge! He jabbed his finger at them and snarled, "I'll do something, you can be sure of that!"

Marissa walked into the dimly lit ship warily after entering without a problem. The ramp had opened for her automatically and after struggling to find it since the damn thing was invisible, she'd managed to enter. She had walked up the same stairs Sau'Nak had led them through before until she found the main hallway of what she guessed was the first floor. The walls were the same silver metal and she spotted closed doors so she didn't get near any of them to not look like an intruder. She didn't need the aliens chasing her out on the wrong assumption. Wondering where they were, she spotted the same orange toned female from before and the alien woman spotted her.

_Oh no, what if she kicks me out?_, she thought nervously. _I didn't exactly knock on their door._

"Shadow told me you'd entered the ship" she informed her in English, surprising Marissa since she hadn't spoken any to her last time. Marissa nodded meekly and the female lifted her upper mandibles as she stared at her with curious yellow eyes. She remembered Kahet doing the same when they met and guessed that was their own form of a smile.

_Scary but friendly_, she assured herself.

"I wanted to see how my cousin was doing" Marissa explained calmly, not wanting to seem intrusive to the woman. This was their home after all and no one liked a nosy guest.

"He's entertaining my friends with stories about your glamorous adventure" Eshin'Ga said and motioned for the human female to follow so she could take her there. From her studies, she'd learned that humans could be very attached to their relatives in stressful times and would add in her personal observation to the scientific logs about it. Her focus wasn't on alien sociology but it was always a bonus in her field.

She led her down the hallway while Marissa stayed close to not lose sight of her in the dimness as they headed to the med station. The scientist spoke up curiously, "We are still surprised that you agreed to aid us easily without expecting anything in return. Our species isn't meant to interact with anyone willingly but we respect your courage. Other species in the universe rarely choose to ally themselves with us."

"That's the way Will is, he gives without expecting anything" Marissa told her with a smile. She studied the woman from behind as she took her own notes on the strange species and explained, "He's the one who got us to agree in the first place. Most of us were frightened and mistrusting about the whole ordeal but he gives out help whether you want it or not, human or alien. I'm glad your friends are safe now though, Leitjin was upset about them the whole time, especially his brother."

"Leitjin is a worrier by nature" the female trilled softly but to Marissa it sounded like a quick chatter of clicks. "He's the baby of this group so he worries over us and we coddle him easily, he has that effect on people. He has an odd obsession with sweets despite his age."

"Really? He seems so mature but it's probably his medic side" she laughed and wondered how old he was. Did their kind age similar to humans, faster, or slower? With a curiosity similar to Will's, she said aloud, "Sau'Nak said he was twenty-nine and he was all over the place when we met with ground rules. So how old is Leitjin?"

"Twenty-six, still very young in our years" Eshin'Ga answered calmly as she answered the curious questions. She had her own set but she studied the behavior of the female instead to appease her mind. She doubted Bakuub would let her study them in a natural setting and explained, "I am the oldest here at thirty-five. Our kind lives for decades much longer than yours, young one. We've only traveled for a decade on our own explorations of space which will continue as we age."

"Really?" she asked surprised, raising her eyebrows. The valuable information had her skipping mentally in happiness. How lucky was she to talk to an alien? She smiled and said contently, "Despite I just committed treason against my government, I'm glad I met Leitjin and Sau'Nak. They opened my mind to the fact that there's a whole universe full of beings that I will never see but my mind can rest knowing the truth. You'd be surprised at how many people doubt it despite there's millions of galaxies in existence which they believe has no life at all. Humans can be arrogant in that manner sometimes."

"I'm sure Leitjin has questions about your people as well" Eshin'Ga trilled amusingly and enjoyed the brief talk with the woman as they arrived at the med station; located at the end of the floor at the right. She entered inside once the door opened automatically to see Will and Leitjin speaking to the other two males while Aru'Dre complained and waved his arms for their attention. The scientist growled and snapped irritably, "Do you ever not stop seeking attention?"

"Fuck no" he answered with a sneer and prodded Bakuub on the shoulder with his finger for emphasis. The older male growled in agitation and swatted him away without looking. The hunter frowned at his reaction and insulted, "Grumpy."

"You have a visitor" Eshin'Ga spoke sharply to Leitjin and Will to nab their focus as she ignored Aru'Dre. She and the hunter clashed a lot on most topics and her resolve was to ignore him so he could go away. She moved aside so Marissa could go in but the female hesitated at seeing Aru'Dre's scowl. She pushed her back gently and assured calmly, "You'll be fine, Aru'Dre is a natural complainer. All talk, no action."

"Say that again and I'll break your scanners!" Aru'Dre hissed as he crossed his muscled arms to look away indignantly. Bakuub smacked him over the head for his threat against his sister and he yowled, massaging the back of his skull. He'd already been smashed into a tree branch, he didn't need another hit with its dose of pain!

Eshin'Ga simply rolled her eyes and walked away to return to her laboratory. Marissa entered quietly and avoided nearing the other alien males as she approached Will. How did he fit in so easily while she felt nervous already? Aliens were supposed to frighten most people! Maybe males just got along with their macho facades about how much ass they kicked? Leitjin noticed her apprehension and chuckled at her modest appearance.

"You're safe here and Will is perfectly well, Marissa" he informed her and she nodded softly without a word. Out of everyone, she only trusted Leitjin due to his honest demeanor while the rest looked like alien warriors.

She looked at Will with a relieved smile and he patted the spot next to him on the bed to persuade, "C'mon, they don't bite. I wasn't probed either if you're wondering."

"Anything that smells like that can't be good for digestion anyway" Aru'Dre muttered smugly in their tongue and Kahet smacked his arm to shut him up.

"Stop hitting me!" he exclaimed and opened one of the cabinets to grab a jar of salve for his new bruises.

"I just wanted to check on you, Bianca's waiting with chocolate" she said softly as she tried to avoid the others gazes. She didn't know if it was rude to stare or not since human cultures varied in that aspect as well so she settled on being shy. She only knew Leitjin and Sau'Nak, Kahet even barely, so she was still wary of the aliens. Hell, the _concept_ of aliens still freaked her out a bit. She crossed her arms to stop any nervous hand sweating and told him, "Also, you can use the shower after I'm done."

"Could I join you?" Kahet spoke up making her blush instantly at the comment. He saw her reaction and quickly rephrased it, "No! Not like that! I meant to try the chocolate you spoke of. I apologize for the misreading."

"Sure, Bianca made extra" she said with a nervous high pitch in her voice, feeling embarrassed from the comment. Leitjin and Will burst out laughing at their ruffled expressions making it worse. She smiled as she saw him click his mandibles nervously against his sharp teeth and his eyes took a sudden fascination with the floor. So aliens could be coy. Sympathetically, she suggested with a friendly smile, "You can come with me and I'll introduce you two."

"You could join her for that too" Will joked and laughed out loud. Humor always livened his day, especially after a getting shot. Marissa punched his good arm in retaliation while Leitjin laughed at his brother. He dropped one of his tools when Kahet smacked his shoulder and he groaned, leaning down to grab it and made a mental note to sterilize it twice for health concerns.

"We're not supposed to be mingling with oomans, it's degrading!" Aru'Dre butted in between both duos and was shoved away to the side by an irritated Sau'Nak. Bakuub decided that now was the time to leave and walked off without another word to check on his ship. Who knows what his sister did when she landed the ship half-assed.

"See that corner? Go bitch a fit over there" Sau'Nak snapped sharply making his cousin's mouth slack. He was getting tired of his constant whining about the humans and wanted to sleep the whole crazy event off. He wasn't fond of the aliens either but he was reserved about it compared to his mouthy relative.

"He's joking now! What have you done to my boring cousin?" he whined dramatically and stomped off to his quarters unhappily as the group watched him awkwardly.

"He seems. . .worse than Chris" Marissa observed and told herself to never cross that alien's path if she wanted to keep living. She gave Sau'Nak an amused look and said, "And you."

"Must you poke fun at me?" he snorted disdainfully and looked away. Why did those two females constantly mock him? He was much more worthier of respect than Aru'Dre in his own view and was nothing like that male.

"Fine, I invite you for a cup of chocolate then" she restated with a soft sigh, trying not to upset the serious male again. He really was hard to appease in her view compared to Leitjin. She clasped her hands together over her stomach and placed a smile on her face to say gently, "It'll be to your liking."

"Not with that tone" he rejected, lifting his chin arrogantly. She scoffed at his superior attitude and walked off, muttering about throwing him in a pit of lava. Pointing at the doorway, he exclaimed to the others, "How dare she leave?!"

"You told her no" Kahet pointed out with a shake of his head and left to follow Marissa before she left him behind in her hasty retreat. He wanted to meet the real species his mother belonged to and find out more about them.

XXXX

End of **Chapter 8**. So the adventure finishes for now and the two groups cool off. . .somewhat. Don't expect Aru'Dre to become chummy with anyone, he's a hot-headed hunter, there's no way he'll be friendly like Leitjin. In the next chapter, we'll see both groups interact together as they decide the next course of action. Thanks for reading and review!


	9. Laughter Is The Best Medicine

CHAPTER 9

**Laughter Is The Best Medicine**

* * *

While Will and Marissa had left, Bianca had nervously baked to take her mind off edge and cooked a breakfast meal for her three cousins before the aliens bounded in. Will and Christina had devoured their eggs and bacon within minutes while Marissa prodded at them mindlessly before sluggishly eating. Bianca had just watched them, happy to have the trio back without injuries until Christina told her it was getting creepy. Unlike Christina who ranted and destroyed, Bianca soothed and cooked without limit to repress her worries. She'd been cheerful until Marissa popped in with Kahet and frightened her to the kitchen corner as she watched the two interact as if it was a natural day-by-day routine. Marissa had then introduced the cautious woman to him but Bianca was more than happy to leave and let the two talk.

The group, except Bakuub, had gotten together for brief introductions by an enthusiastic Leitjin who made everyone mingle. He wanted them to get along for the moment before they left so his team could see the humans weren't simply menial beings. Despite Aru'Dre's and Sau'Nak's reluctance, Kahet had ordered them to do whatever his little brother wanted and Leitjin gladly took advantage. He wanted to know more about the human world and he was sure they were just as eager when he brought his team inside. Bianca had screamed for a few minutes until Will covered her mouth and repressed the fear by cooking incessantly. Meanwhile, Christina had glared down her newest nemesis but smiled sweetly at the medic as he chatted them up. Will practically spoke to all of them at a fast pace to make sure no one was left out until Marissa snapped him out of it with a slap on the head.

"Why is everyone in here?" Bakuub grunted aloud outside the humans dwelling as he stood camouflaged in his armor. He wasn't taking any chances on this planet and he doubted the small cabin could hold back an army if the hostile humans returned. Banging on the door with his fist, he impatiently waited until a small female human opened the door. He hadn't met her before and tilted his head in curiosity. She was so tiny compared to him, it was almost cute. . .and funny. He chuckled mentally at the smaller human heights that could rival yautja children's and Bianca ushered him inside quietly. As he uncloaked, she stared at his immense size in awe. How tall were his species? They could dominate anyone if that was their usual height and she couldn't help but feel small under his stare. Without looking at the doorway's height, Bakuub entered and smacked the top of his head over it, ducking instantly after hitting himself.

_Stupid ooman-sized door!_, he cursed mentally and rubbed his sore skin.

"Sorry, I forgot about your height difference" she apologized embarrassedly and shut the door once he was inside. She scurried away from the new alien visiting her cabin and knew he was the leader once his team nodded to him. Her chocolate brown eyes studied the newcomer as she wondered what made him different from the rest since his armor was the same silver color and he wasn't as tall as the pilot. However, she had food to cook at the moment and returned to her task.

He found his entire team inside enjoying a cup of hot chocolate the shy human had given them while trying out their first chocolate cookies. He cocked his head at the surreal scene and dismissed the notion of comprehending such an image. Well, at least the aliens were hospitable to strangers. The most he'd expected was their screaming to never see them again as they hightailed it out of the forest in their vehicle.

Bakuub studied the wooden abode, questioning how humans lived in such primitive places and spotted his team on the floor. Why was his team sitting on the _floor_? Where the humans so lazy they couldn't lend them chairs? Had their culture not invented even the most basic furniture design concept yet?

"Why are you on the floor?" he asked Aru'Dre roughly and crossed his arms in question. The sepia hunter had finally decided to try the strange beverage after twenty minutes of non-stop hissing and glanced up at his friend.

"Chairs can't handle our weight and they appear poor so I decided to take pity and allow them the saved currency" he answered simply with a self-dignified nod and sipped his drink slowly. Just because he agreed to drink it didn't mean he'd trust the contents completely. He didn't see what the hype Leitjin kept spouting about was and told the captain, "It's not bad for ooman cooking. I've had better but this will suffice for the time being. We are in a rural area and I doubt these poverty-stricken creatures can afford good ingredients for cooking."

Bakuub shook his head and wanted to inform the hunter that not all alien species were poor based solely on their means of living and evolution. Plus, he spotted bags with clothing inside lying around the main room and came to the conclusion that this wasn't their permanent home. He doubted all four could live in such a small place and it was barren compared to what Iliana had described human homes to be from her own adventures.

"You're lucky you got any with your attitude and we're not poor!" Christina snapped acidly from the couch where she sat with Leitjin, who had happily added whip cream to his drink for added taste. Kahet had warned him about eating to many foreign products but the younger sibling didn't listen. He would've eaten the metal can too if Will hadn't yanked it away before his fanged teeth punctured it. She turned to the medic and scolded him gently, "No more cups for you, you've had three already. I don't want you on a sugar high, your alien system can act differently on it and you're the only medic here."

He pouted with a light disappointed groan and nodded regretfully to her point. The beverage was so good, he didn't want to give it up but his medical mind won over. He didn't need to have an allergic reaction or upset stomach at the moment. He sipped the chocolate more slowly to conserve its content and Kahet shook his head from his spot on the floor as he spoke with Marissa but had his eyes trained on his sibling. Leitjin merely narrowed his hazel eyes at him and took a sip to humorously rile his brother.

_He can be like mother sometimes_, he thought amusingly.

Will sat on the coffee table across from the two as he indulged Leitjin with his curious questions and the medic did the same with his own. Christina listened to them from her corner with a bored face and wondered if her fall fashion catalogs had arrived at her home. Oh, how she missed her laptop. Sau'Nak stared cautiously and didn't like the fact that Leitjin was giving away information; his people didn't even do that with most trade species. Frankly, they weren't supposed to be chummy at all in the slightest sense! His cousin could be too soft sometimes and that was not a compliment. Personally, he loathed interacting with species different from his own and would only speak to them until he got the information he needed. Shadow glanced at the tall male as he sat rigidly while his own body was curled over the wooden floor while he tried to drink from the cup with his inner tongue carefully. It was proving quite troublesome and he decided to let it be. He didn't have a mouth like the yautja or humans and wouldn't compete with an inanimate object for his beverage.

'_Do you think the humans will reveal us?'_, he asked privately.

"No, but that doesn't mean I have to like it" the yautja answered simply and sniffed his drink to make sure it was safe. Poisons and sedatives could be mixed into drinks without a hassle but he doubted the tiny female knew the process. If so, she'd have to be a pretty good actress since she scattered fearfully at the sight of them. He observed each of the humans again and told his companion, "We're breaking regulation but I will say nothing until Bakuub points it out."

'_Then relax, I do not believe they have ill intentions at all'_, Shadow spoke as he watched Will and Leitjin talk. He found the alien male to be quite friendly since meeting and that was rare in most parts of the universe. Even the yautja would never warm up to him and Leitjin still had trouble fitting in because of his genetics. Yet in the small cabin, the medic seemed at ease and Shadow spoke aloud, _'Leitjin is quite content with them and they hid you without asking for compensation. They are humble and almost childlike, very young compared to your species lifespan. The little female is very kind despite her lack of bravery and I doubt they could harm us personally.'_

"So do I but I will not place my complete trust in others unless I am well aware of all the facts" Sau'Nak stated grimly and took a sip of his drink, deeming it safe. The taste wasn't worth much but it didn't singe his tongue like last time so that was a perk. However, he kept a cautious outlook over the room as he added in aloofly, "Especially with an _alien_ species."

"Hey! I almost got blown up for you" Marissa spoke up behind him as she stomped past him and went to sit next to Kahet on the floor. She'd overheard his words from behind and couldn't help being insulted by his callous attitude. Coldly, she continued, "Is that not good enough for you? What do I have to do? Shoot my own kind? Because that's what I did! You think I liked killing a stranger of my own people to help an alien who doesn't trust me?"

_Is she complaining about one random person?_, he thought carelessly. _Such an emotional being._

"You volunteered, I remember rejecting your choice personally" he pointed out calmly, making her glare at his casual tone. He would not let her put the blame solely on him, he'd made his plan and she joined in willingly. He set his cup down and pointed out firmly, "I _never_ asked for aid but you imposed yourself into my plan. The choice was yours alone."

_Never? That jerk practically made us help him in the beginning with his attitude!_, she thought angrily and clutched her mug tightly. Kahet stared back and forth, unsure of what step to take, and decided to grab her cup before she crushed it in her grip. Marissa didn't even notice as her gray eyes narrowed dangerously at the pilot.

"What is your problem? We've done nothing but help and you're acting all high and mighty despite you needed us!" she retorted furiously and pointed at him. The others grew quiet in their conversations and glanced at the two instead as they feuded. Bianca wanted to intervene but Eshin'Ga held her back, telling her this was their argument and not hers. Marissa slammed her fist onto the wooden floor and snapped, "You used our home, our room, our food, Will's car- which by the way is totaled- and no matter what we do, you assume we're out to destroy you or not worthy to breathe the same air as you! What makes you so much better than us?!"

_Stop arguing, I can handle Chris doing this but not Marissa too_, Will thought in dismay as his eyes darted back and forth between the two.

"My people aren't the barbarians trying to steal the technology of others" Sau'Nak hissed coldly and narrowed his ruby eyes. She grit her teeth at his accusing words and he continued with his superior tone, "Obviously, my people are very advanced to be envied this way by your primitive race. I doubt anyone would've survived if an ooman made the plan alone and you followed my orders without question so who is the superior individual here? Besides, you were the one who so easily placed her life on the field based on my battle plan meaning you knew _I _was superior to _you_ to ensure your complete survival."

"Oh no" Leitjin murmured and slumped in his seat. Why did his cousin have to mistrust every alien being? This was going to put them in more problems! Why couldn't he be like him and try the friendly approach once in a while?

_This is just like the Piohraeek incident_, he thought despondently. _They unleashed their missiles on us because Sau'Nak insulted their unsanitary food conditions and gave them tips._

_How dare he judge the others and me that way? After what we did for him!_, Marissa thought in outrage and hurt. She'd helped him and believed they had reached a common ground after everything. It seemed he could be cold and two-faced when it came to any alien which made her sick to her stomach. _We could've died and he wouldn't have cared for a second! I can't believe I put my life on the line for this jerk!_

"I did it out of compassion, you ass, something you should learn" she spat in an icy tone and walked away from the others to head to her room. Sau'Nak hissed slightly and ignored the insult as the room stayed silent; a slamming door sounding off seconds later.

"Even I thought that was mean for my taste" Aru'Dre spoke up loudly to put in his opinion and Kahet punched his arm to shut him up. Leitjin just sighed depressingly and shook his head at the tense moment. The sepia hunter massaged his arm and hissed to his comrade, "And you think _I'm_ the jerk? You need a vision test, Kahet."

"Shut up!" Kahet hissed back menacingly in a whisper to save any further arising tension.

_It made me wonder why Sau'Nak rarely has friends and now I know_, he thought and sighed mentally.

"Sau'Nak, we must run a maintenance test on the ship before leaving" Bakuub ordered his comrade who nodded and stood up. He did not want to provoke any more arguing and decided to take out the key player in the mess. Looking at the three humans, he said politely, "My people rarely interact with other species for large amounts of time, much less befriend them as Leitjin seems to be doing. However, I know when thanks are in order and I thank you for your honorable and courageous actions for aiding my team. . .despite my pilot's opinions."

_He's siding with them? How am I at fault here?!_, Sau'Nak thought in surprise and it baffled him. _That makes no sense! Why is no one ever thinking rationally in these type of situations?_

"Sure, Barney" Christina mumbled uncaringly, still furious over what Sau'Nak had told Marissa. Seriously, who did he think he was? An alien who everyone would listen to at his every bossy command? Maybe now Marissa would listen to her about befriending everyone she met. She would've thrown her drink at the jerk but if she scalded him, she didn't think his leader would appreciate it. So she settled for glaring hatefully at the pilot as she imagined all kinds of torture performed on him.

"My name is Bakuub!" he barked at her ignorance and the idle tone. His name wasn't that hard to pronounce by a human tongue. Out of everyone, his sister and the pilot gave outsiders a hard time vocalizing their names.

"Whatever" she mumbled carelessly under her breath again. She placed her feet on the coffee table to lean back and sip her drink. She'd done her heroic deed for the day and she wasn't giving out any more pep to anyone.

Looking at Will, Bakuub continued, "I apologize for any rude actions from my crew. We will not trouble you anymore than we already have. When our ship is deemed ready for flight, we will leave this area immediately. I know that I cannot solely judge an entire species as inferior but there are individuals who are considered to be worthy among my people based on their actions and I will honor you as such. After talking with William-"

"No, it's Will" he groaned embarrassingly and covered his face with his hands. Why did the aliens have to be formal with names? People on Earth didn't even use their names sometimes and opted for nicknames instead. Bakuub snorted in amusement instead and Will reminded himself to tell Leitjin about formal and casual human conversation.

"Either way, your actions were honest and courageous" he continued as the trio listened quietly. Aru'Dre was about to defend his pride concerning the capture but Eshin'Ga slapped his head from behind to stop him. Bakuub resisted from uttering an aggravated sigh and stated, "For that, I will leave you within the safety of your city to avoid being caught by these oomans here as payment for our debt. No one asked you to aid an alien species and you did it humbly- well, _most_ of you anyway- and I will return it as the captain of my group."

"Do you think we're in that much danger?" Bianca asked quietly with a worried tone. She stood with Eshin'Ga by the stove as she put cookies onto a plate for the group while the scientist scribbled a quick note into her electronic data pad. Bianca had been weary to see the tall woman hovering over her as she typed into her slate but once Eshin'Ga assured her it was for educational purposes, she didn't mind. Plus, she'd take her chances with the calm female than the short-tempered males. Bakuub's offer sounded nice but what were the real consequences she and her cousins would face from all their interaction?

"Hello? We took on the government, of course we are!" Christina snapped firmly at her, then softened her tone at seeing her cousin wince, "They'll be searching for us based on whatever descriptions they remember about us. . .except you, you're clear. The best we can do is try to keep low profiles or run off to another country."

"I always wanted to go to Japan" Will grinned happily and gave an enthusiastic nod to his family about the idea. Christina gave him her patented 'you're an idiot' glare and questioned why the universe had given her a dense sibling.

"A country where we're not standing out, Will!" she restated her point sharply and resisted from punching his recently injured arm. She didn't find any humor in their situation and resented that the aliens could leave without a care while they were stuck on their planet for any arising retaliation. This was the _best_ vacation anyone could have dreamed of. She really wanted to break a chair over the sepia jerk or the annoying pilot at that moment. Bitterly, she stated, "If anyone starts looking, we're screwed."

"Thank you for your offer, Bakuub" Bianca spoke up to the leader who had his brows raised towards the feuding twins. She didn't want the aliens to believe they were uncivilized with the way those two argued. He turned to face her and she looked away in shyness, "I'll speak for my cousins and say it for them. We agree to your respectful gesture."

He nodded to her silently, deciding she was the sane one of the group, and motioned for Sau'Nak to leave with him. The taller male followed quietly as he crossed his arms irritably. Christina practically bared her teeth at him when he passed by and Will held her back as he compared her to an angry rottweiler.

"Down girl" he teased lightly and Bianca winced when Christina yanked her brother's hair into her powerful grip. Her hand clutched his brown hair tightly and he cried out, "Not the hair!"

"You were rude and you will apologize to that female onboard" Bakuub ordered simply without question to his friend and ignored the twins antics as he opened the strange human door. Sau'Nak nodded bitterly without a word and followed him, purposely slamming the door to ease his tension.

"Don't be rude now!" Bianca called out weakly from inside and released a sigh. Shaking her head, she returned to fixing the farewell snacks for both groups as they finished getting ready to leave. She'd already begun packing and would finish once everyone was fed.

"How about Australia then? I have a pen pal there" Will continued making his sister's left eye twitch again as she tried to ignore him but failed miserably. She held her ears to deafen him but he kept talking excitedly, "Or Italy? We can make a vineyard! Or Hawaii-oh wait, that's still in the US. Oh, Canada and their slopes! Everyone loves Canada! Or the UK where-"

"Or how about I throw you out of a plane over the Pacific?" she threatened agitatedly and went back to drinking her chocolate. The sugar calmed her as it passed her throat but it didn't last long as she added in nastily, "Then your ghost can travel all over the world!"

"I'll live under the sea then" he declared and crossed his arms defiantly. Bianca could only sigh in embarrassment as the aliens watched their spat with curiosity. Couldn't the two behave in front of company?

"I keep telling you it's not gonna happen! Humans haven't discovered that tech yet" Christina shot back and threw a pillow at his head to shut him up but he ducked and Leitjin received the blow. The medic massaged his face from the pillow attack and she snapped at her brother angrily, "You're such an idiot, Will! Look what you made me do! I hurt the gentle one!"

"Welcome to the wonderful world of Earth" Bianca sighed pitifully as she saw Christina apologize to the poor medic caught in their war. Will joined his sister and the two then argued over who was more truthful to their apology while Leitjin hung his head. She smiled at the friendly medic and walked up to the remaining group with fresh cookies on a plate. Shyly, she spoke up, "I have treats, courtesy of Earth, so fill your stomachs before we all leave."

"Oh!" Leitjin exclaimed, jumping up eagerly and lessening the weight on the couch making Will fall off on his butt. He gave out a quick apology while running over to Bianca and grabbed one hot off the plate. Then two, three, four-

"Leitjin, they're for everyone" she scolded with a laugh as he purred happily. He scampered off with his treats before she could grab them back and give them to the others. She began to pass out the rest as he returned to sit down and nibble on them.

"Don't worry if there isn't enough, we have our own food onboard" Eshin'Ga assured the smaller woman and took a bite of her own, testing the different tastes and foreign ingredients with her tongue. Besides Leitjin, Bianca liked this female easily after talking to her since she hadn't frightened her off or given her a cold vibe like the rest. She was calm and composed, a whole different package compared to the males who were brutish.

Leitjin grabbed one of his cookies and held it out to Kahet so he could try one. Despite the infectious smile, his brother declined the offer and left the room. Shrugging, he began to eat it himself while purring. He had no idea how the small female had created the treat but he wanted the recipe to take home to his mother.

_They're delicious!_, he thought as he felt the chocolate melt in his mouth. _It's a shame I can't leave Earth with a batch of these._

"You sound like a cat" Christina laughed, enjoying the odd sound coming from him. Leitjin cocked his head to the side and wondered what a 'cat' was but assumed she liked it since she wasn't directing her usual anger towards him. He returned to eating his cookie quietly as she told her brother in a friendly tone, "That's pretty cool."

"You're sure they're not poisoned?" Aru'Dre asked in their tongue to the others making Eshin'Ga slap his head again. He almost hurled his cookie at her head as he arched his back and yelled, "Damn it, woman!"

Will tried to grab one of Leitjin's cookies while the medic stared at his grumbling cousin but he held them protectively against his chest. When he noticed Will's hand leaning in, he turned around and hissed, "Mine!"

"I think he's getting addicted to Earth's sweet foods" Christina observed with a raised eyebrow, looking over the giddy medic as he ate. She did not want to get between his sharp teeth and the food like her idiot brother had tried. Still, despite his fearsome looks, she chuckled, "For an alien, he's kinda adorable."

Her brother raised an eyebrow to her eerily friendly comment about the medic and she snapped, "A platonic adorable. Like those cute stray puppies on the street."

"I wouldn't tell him that" Will sighed at her dry humor and wondered why he was given a sibling with a lacking sarcastic wit. Her hand slapped the back of his head and he jumped in surprise to yell, "What did I do?! I didn't even say anything!"

"You were insulting me mentally" she declared without any physical facts and he stared at her as if she'd gone insane.

* * *

Kahet opened the wooden door carefully at the end of the hall and spotted the human Marissa fixing clothes over the bed. Her eyes were red as she stuffed her clothes inside her duffel bag and he closed the door causing her to jump slightly and spot him. She glanced at him timidly as she put away the bag to the side and wiped her eyes.

_Ooman females are very emotional beings_, he thought observantly. _I remember how mother would cry during the days leading up to my Chiva. By Paya, she's still saddened whenever any of us leave._

He quietly held out the cerulean ceramic cup to her and said gently, "You forgot it. I thought it would help calm you."

_Stupid Sau'Nak, now they probably think I'm a blubbering baby_, she thought sourly. _I don't know why I was nice to him in the first place. I blame it on intergalactic camaraderie beliefs Will spouts about._

She grabbed it gingerly and drank a sip while watching him. His face wasn't as grim as the pilot's firm features or scowling like the loudmouth. Leitjin's face easily won the gentle category though despite the sharp teeth and facial features. However, there was something she couldn't quite point out about their softer features but shrugged it off. Giving him an appreciative smile, she thanked him, "Thank you, Kahet."

"I apologize for my cousin's words, he does not speak on my behalf" he said kindly as his eyes glanced over her sullen face. The corner of her lips lifted slightly at his words and he decided to try the gentle tactics that he'd used to calm his own mother before leaving on missions. He doubted Marissa was as hard to convince as the woman who struck fear into he and his father and told her, "I am thankful for what you did, even if I may have scared you when we first met. I will not badmouth any of your actions and I am in your debt for aiding my little brother."

"Thanks, but. . .you're not a jerk like him" she stated quietly and sniffled softly as his comment lightened her mood. She took a sip from her mug and placed it on a nearby night table while he quietly watched. Her tired red-rimmed eyes met his brilliant hue and she admitted softly, "I doubt you've ever killed one of your own people so I doubt you'd understand my feelings and thoughts over taking a life. I'm studying to help people, not kill them. I'm not a fighter nor do I want to be right now. I helped you because you needed it and all the violence today went against my principles but I just couldn't say no. Our government was wrong to do what they did but Sau'Nak is a complete jerk in my view for disregarding our helpful part in his plan. Obviously, he didn't care for my viewpoint in this matter."

_I've killed much more than you ever will in your life_, he thought as he watched her fumble with her bedspread to rip it off the bed somewhat. The furrowed brows on her face told him that she wasn't keen on a certain matter and he bet it wasn't her bed cover but the pilot. _Apparently, ooman females can be very sensitive so I'll watch my step before I end up with chocolate and broken shards all over my face._

"My kind is not gentle, not a by a long shot" Kahet admitted and rumbled his chest softly as she stopped her fumbling. She stared up at him with interest and he knew the typical human curiosity had caught her attention. He didn't mind, she'd already promised her secrecy about his existence and her actions had never been hostile against him. He made a light rumble in his throat and explained, "We are bred to be the strongest so I can't say I understand your concept of passivity. In your world, money and labor run your society but ours is based on laws and prestige which are earned by raw physical survival throughout our lives. But I know you're an innocent being who's seen things that should not be and it won't be easy to endure them. You're not supposed to know we exist and that perception can hurt your entire belief system."

"But I have to trudge through it, whether I want to or not" Marissa stated with a gentle sigh and smiled softly. Despite his strong chiseled appearance, his friendliness lessened its intimidation and she couldn't help but like the strange alien. It really was nice of him to come there out of his own goodwill instead of the jerk who should've done it in the first place. She clasped her hands together and gave him a sincere smile, "Thanks for the apology but I don't need it, especially not from you, Kahet. You didn't do anything wrong but I appreciate your actions. I tried to be nice to Sau'Nak despite the attitude but he's right, I know what I got into-"

"That doesn't mean it gave him a right to say what he did" he objected firmly and she was touched that he sided with her on the matter. Most would go with their own kind and family but he disagreed. On the other hand, she argued with Christina's philosophies most of the time too. After years of discrimination, Kahet didn't like it when others, especially females, were undermined for their say only because of either their genotype or phenotype. With a calm tone, he assured her, "You have enough on your mind, forget his words and prepare to leave. You'll be at peace once you're in the safety of your home."

"Thank you, Kahet" she said kindly and smiled at him for his sincerity. He was a lot like Leitjin, he seemed understanding and friendly ever since they met hours ago. She enjoyed her time with him much more than her day with the pilot and he'd almost strangled her at first sight. Why couldn't he have been the one to crash into her house? He didn't appear that frightening to her as he had during the battle and his company eased her. Quietly, she glanced at him to say, "I apologize for the atrocious way my people treated you, that is not the way I want them to be portrayed. Not all of us are like that but be more careful next time, okay?"

"You have nothing to apologize for" he chuckled, dismissing the issue but appreciated her words. He doubted many humans would stand before him with a calm demeanor and pointed towards the closed door to suggest, "You should join your family outside. I believe the two siblings were in the middle of a spat but by the look on your face, it looks like nothing new. Bianca was handing out tiny treats called 'cookies'. Leitjin ran off with half the plate so I'll apologize in case he eats your food supply."

"You should try some, they're good" Marissa laughed at his joke and hoped the medic wouldn't get ill from overeating. The two brothers did behave similarly but the older was more keen to her personality and she found herself wanting to know more about their strange culture. She wouldn't bounce joyfully like Will but she wanted to keep interacting with him. She grinned slyly and joked, "I hope you won't run off with the rest of the plate?"

"I can't assure you of that" he joked back with a playful trill and looked over the beds. They appeared similar to some of theirs but the blankets were thin and cold unlike their thick pelts. He prodded one of the soft pillows and noticed they were flimsier and thinner than theirs. However, the mattress was soft under his hand and he cocked his head in interest. Shrugging, he decided to sit on it before Marissa could stop him.

"No, the bed-" she cried out and yanked his arm to no avail. As he sat, the uplifted bed creaked from below and collapsed under his immense weight. The top bunk bed fell onto them as the foundation broke and Marissa cried out, fearing she was about to die from a bed rather than a bullet like before. Kahet simply shoved it to the side with his strength and shielded her with his body as he pulled her under. She glared heatedly at him from her spot on the bed and he covered his face with one of the stray blankets. He was supposed to be seen as her savior not an enemy.

_Another blunder on my part_, he sighed dismally. _How am I going to talk my way out of this one? If I was Leitjin, I'd flash a smile but I doubt that charm will work on oomans._

"You ruined Christina's bed, she's going to murder us and then the park will bill us for the next five years" she hissed in annoyance but couldn't help but being amused at his action to hide. So dodging an argument was his plan, was it? Alien or not, she'd have bills to pay and she doubted he carried a Mastercard in his belt. She tried to keep a straight face as she argued, "We'll be banned forever, this isn't funny. You've no idea on how greedy humans are with money and if it's lost, legs are broken!"

"At least you're alive rather than being crushed" Kahet pointed out warily and decided to peek over the blanket. Her gray eyes were irritated while her eyebrows were furrowed, a similar look he remembered his mother giving his father when he ate the family dinner once. Her look softened as his emerald eyes peeked childishly at her but she shook her head to stay on point.

"You trying to look cute doesn't help us" she stated sharply, poking his light green chest in which he rumbled it in return. The vibrations tickled her finger but she went on, "We-"

The door burst open and Christina rushed in suspiciously followed by Will with his casual stride. Bianca and Leitjin curiously peeked in from the open doorway to see what was going on. They'd heard the loud noise from outside and wondered what had happened inside between the two. Bianca had thought either Marissa had lashed out or Kahet had attacked her due to the crash. However, that wasn't the case and the three onlookers sighed in relief except for one. Christina saw the top bunk bed in one piece in the middle of the room while her bottom bed was split into two in its original spot as the mattress caved in. On top of her mattress, the brunette gave her a nervous wave and glared at the alien next to her who laid on his side while holding a blanket as a shield between them. Now, he had to face two infuriated females.

_My bed!_, Christina thought as she saw the broken legs lying on the floor in pieces. The wooden foundation of the bed was completely shattered but she didn't care for any of it except, _I'm going to get billed forever for this!_

"What the hell did you do now?!" she shouted lividly and entered the room with heavy footsteps. Will had to wince at his sister's fury and pitied both the alien and his cousin. Even he knew better than to get her mad beyond the breaking point because there was no coming back. Shooting both of them a seething glare, she screeched, "What part of 'no sitting on anything' didn't you understand?!"

"He. . .he forgot, everyone makes mistakes?" Marissa mumbled weakly with a small smile and her cousin shot her the evil eye. She grabbed Kahet's blanket and covered her face from view as both tugged at it for protection. Christina growled angrily as her fists clenched and Marissa groaned at facing the fuming banshee. She knew Kahet wasn't going to do it so she took the initiative. Feeling safer behind the blanket rather than the strong male, she explained calmly, "It was an accident on both our parts as we were talking. He tried to get off but I couldn't yank him-"

"You still ruined it!" she shrieked as her face reddened and began to pace furiously before them. Was she dealing with buffoons who couldn't follow a simply rule? Or had the two been preoccupied to even care? Marissa avoided her gaze and gave the quiet yautja her own glare in which he turned away nonchalantly. Oh, now he wanted to use nonviolence? Christina pushed up her sweater's sleeves and exclaimed, "My credit is going to be ruined till I'm 40 because of this and I'm hitching a ride with the aliens who started all this in the first place!"

"Actually, Bakuub offered-" Kahet began to point out but she spun around to scowl at him with wild eyes.

"Shut up, watermelon head!" she yelled spitefully and Marissa had to snicker at the color similarities of both.

"I really did forget" Kahet murmured in protest, hoping it would help. That human female was as furious as a normal yautja female would be when flustered. He didn't like it, especially if she would try to beat him down like their own. He doubted her slim body could do any damage but looks could be deceiving and she already had a target sign displayed over his cousin's head. Plus, he wouldn't feel right fighting a female of any species due to his upbringing.

_For a small being, she's quite fearless_, he thought but it wasn't complimentary. If she could stand up to any alien, she was lucky other aggressive hunters weren't on the receiving end or her head would be on their spears minutes later.

"There's no point in arguing with her" Marissa whispered to him in sympathy and sighed hopelessly, "Once she's on the attack, there's no way she'll find you innocent."

She raised her voice and bravely stated, "We really didn't mean for this to happen."

"What the fuck were you two doing that made you forget?!" Christina demanded skeptically as she fought the tendency to pull at her hair. Her mind was already warning her about overreacting to the innocent duo but all she could focus on was her poor credit. That and the entire hell these aliens had put her through since yesterday! She should've never gone on this stupid trip and saved herself ten years of mental health care and a thousand dollar bill.

_No fair, I wanted my new Chanel bag from the fall '16 collection_, she thought sadly as the adorable bag she'd been eyeing in the catalogs for months faded away from her mind.

"Maybe he wanted to join her in bed" Will laughed out loud and wiped his eyes as the joke made him crack up. Marissa crumpled the blanket she held and threw it at his head at his accusation but he dodged it behind the doorway. Leitjin started laughing as well and slapped the wall he leaned against from outside. Bianca blushed at his outlandish accusation from her own perch outside and Aru'Dre decided to come up to join them as they berated his cousin. Will nodded to the group as Marissa imagined how to torture him as he went on, "I mean, they are quite comfy on it and they haven't attempted to get off-"

"Did I miss something here?" Christina snapped at all of them and glared directly at Marissa. Her shoulders squared and she jabbed her index finger at the woman to growl, "You better not start getting kinky with anyone here, missy! Especially not an _alien_ who broke my bed! I could write a book on why you shouldn't be _talking_ to him and even more on not trying to let him get into your pants!"

_Why in the world would I think of. . .Auggh! No!_, Marissa thought repulsively.

"I didn't do anything, the bed broke because he sat on it! Look at how big he is!" she yelled to prove her innocence as she tried to cover the blush on her cheeks with her hand. Great, she reached out in camaraderie and she's already being accused of trying to seduce an alien she met a only few hours prior. Were they all insane? Standing up in embarrassment, she crossed her arms and turned away from them. She glared at Kahet, who was growling at his laughing brother, and scolded, "This is all your fault for being friendly."

_I try to be kind and this is my thanks?_, Kahet thought perplexed. _I'll never understand oomans! And I'm half-ooman, I should be ashamed!_

"I came in here to lighten your mood-" he started and stood up instantly to argue with her.

"By trying to seduce her, eh?" Will joked with a wink and wagged his eyebrows towards both. "Something like-", he quickly changed his voice to a deep flirtatious baritone tone, "Hey baby, how 'bout ridin' Kahet's Love Express? Destination: Paradise. The ride will be gentle followed by a few rocky bumps as Kahet does his thang. One ride is all it takes to achieve heavenly pleasure and you will come back craving for more."

Bianca, Leitjin, and even Aru'Dre burst out laughing as Will finished his impression proudly and nodded to himself in achievement. All right, he'd settled the tense moods all morning and it only took humor to combine both groups. They always said laughter was the best medicine of all. Christina, however, grinded her teeth angrily while Marissa tried to kick Will from behind at his implication and Kahet wished he'd never come to the room to begin with!

"I did not have physical relations with her! She's an alien!" he growled at them to banish their lewd thoughts and glared at his cousin and brother who were no longer arguing but hugging in their laughter. . .towards him. Kahet narrowed his eyes and growled threateningly, "Leitjin, stop laughing! You have no legitimate proof on this and I'm right!"

"All right, let's be serious for a moment" Will laughed as he shushed everyone good-naturedly and cleared his throat to stop laughing. He was having fun uniting both species and making jokes about his younger cousin. Eventually, she would have her revenge but for now she was fair game to him. He decided to settle the matter with his sister before she blew like a tea kettle in her spot and offered, "We'll all share the cost since we rented it together."

_That's better_, she thought satisfied and nodded.

She seemed content with the answer so he ushered her out gently without touching her before she exploded again. The blond raised her chin defiantly and walked out with a stiff commanding posture as she exited the room. Will wiped his forehead in relief as he watched her go sit on the couch and told the three onlookers, "Now, let's give Kahet some time to make Marissa 'feel better'. No matter what awful and horrific noises we hear, we'll ignore it as they ignite their interspecies passion." Then with a sweet cheesy grin at Marissa, he dramatized, "Enjoy your _happy_ time-"

"I'm going to kill you!" she screamed as the last string of patience broke and grabbed Christina's metal bat from under the broken bed. He ran away in a second while the others continued laughing from their spots. She wrapped her hands over the bat comfortably and called out, "Once I hit you, I'll definitely feel better!"

She pointed the bat at Kahet and he thought she was going to beat him instead but she snapped, "No more private chats. And by the way, you wouldn't be able to handle me."

Marissa ran after Will as Bianca followed rapidly to yell for their violence to stop. Kahet simply blushed a greener tone from her comment and crossed his arms uncomfortably. Great, he'd become the butt of everyone's joke today and a sexual joke at that! Aru'Dre snickered to Leitjin as he whispered something inaudible that made them both laugh and Kahet turned his attention to them, mainly his brother.

"You can't kill me, I'm the cute brother!" Leitjin reasoned feebly but ran away instantly to escape. He didn't want to deal with a cranky Kahet and their mother wasn't there to pry or scold him away this time. He was a medic, he stood no chance against his trained sibling. A cramp stung his side as he stumbled into the living room with clumsy steps and he groaned, "Oh! I can't run, I'm full of chocolate!"

"Even better!" Kahet declared from behind and caught up to his slower younger sibling in seconds. Bianca could only compare the two to a powerful cheetah and an old wildebeest. Obviously, the old wildebeest wouldn't escape. The poor medic was trapped in the room and cried out when Kahet gripped his mesh collar from behind. He grabbed Leitjin into a headlock quickly before he could wriggle free and gave him a noogie with his knuckles. Leitjin cried out as his brother's knuckles dug into his head and he scratched at his arms for freedom.

"You're not going anywhere!" Kahet grinned maniacally as the younger male groaned in humiliation and pain.

_This is much better_, he thought pleasantly as Leitjin struggled to get free.

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks to my readers and last chapter reviewers! So everyone is still at each other's throats except for Will and Leitjin trying to keep the peace and now they all have to survive three arduous hours as the humans are taken home. Will Aru'Dre survive? Will Bianca stop screaming at any of them? And will Leitjin hurl his guts from eating foreign food? Find out next time. In other news, my best sci-fi film for this year is District 9 and when I heard their odd little clicking/growl language, I just automatically thought 'Predator'!


	10. Hours of Our Discontent

CHAPTER 10:

**Hours of Our Discontent  


* * *

  
**

Iliana paced hastily before the communication screen in her main foyer with her hands clasped behind her back, feet shuffling back and forth in a military march. One of her twins gave a kick from inside the womb but she didn't acknowledge it. No, her mind was occupied elsewhere. Her hazel eyes were narrowed in concentration and opened to their full extent when the door to her home opened. She turned to see her mate enter after a grueling day of typing up boring reports and hearing Sau-Trul drone on about the latest adorable thing his newest suckling had done. Seriously, had the ferocious man he feared for decades been brought down by a mere child?

_I can't wait to bombard him with my own and I'm having twins! No one can top that_, he thought mischievously with a mad gleam in his emerald eyes and halted in his steps when he noticed his mate frowning at him. That wasn't good.

"What did I do now? I just came home!" Kantra complained in self-defense and wondered if she was in another wild mood swing. He could never tell with any of her pregnancies and walked in cautiously in case she tried to attack him with her fists. Iliana had always been quite volatile since they met and he loved it. . .except when she targeted that anger towards him. That would just damper his skills in charming her. She may have been small but she still kept up her fighting skills and after their years together, she knew his weak spots. He placed his hands up peacefully as he walked forwards slowly and spoke calmly, "Whatever you think I did, I apologize beforehand and it'll never happen again."

Iliana smiled fondly at her baffled mate and shook her head to explain, "I'm not mad at you, Kantra." Her face contorted to a frown and she pointed to the screen on her left, "I'm mad at that stupid screen! I've been trying to contact the boys but I can't get a decent connection. You're good with things-"

"I'm good with a lot of things" he broke in smugly and clicked his mandibles with a grin but she slapped his speckled chest to shut him up. Despite his chest was clothed with his black tunic, the force was quite strong for her little hand. He gave a low growl to save his pride and hissed, "Iliana! You can't murder the handsome father of these future warrior sucklings before their birth."

"You're not _that_ handsome" she lied with a scoff and crossed her arms childishly to ward off the blush rising in her cheeks. Who was she trying to fool? She tended to drag him into their bedroom just as much as he did. He gave her a knowing stare that made her crumble in seconds and she mumbled meekly, "Who are we kidding? You've rocked my world for over thirty years."

"There's my tantalizing beauty" he purred softly and leaned down to nip at her lips. She gave him a quick kiss in return and he gripped her shoulders with his claws to protest, "Oh no, you're giving me more than that after stopping my heart at the door with that glare."

"Our children first, then sex" she pointed out in negotiation and he groaned mentally. If he didn't choose that, the latter would go up in smoke and never return. His mate always drove a tough compromise as of late.

"I'm starting to think pregnancy isn't the best look for you" Kantra muttered, more to himself, and her face became a stony glare in which he decided to change the subject to save her compromise. He squeezed her shoulders nervously and asked, "Why don't I take a look at it and see if I can get them?"

"That's the smartest thing I've heard you say since you entered" she mocked sarcastically with a witty smile and hugged him around the waist, happy that he was home again. He breathed mentally in relief that her mood suddenly changed gears and purred softly. His face nuzzled hers before giving her a kiss and she smiled fondly as she remained close to him, "Welcome back, sweetie. I'll have dinner ready soon and Aloun'Da's working late so it's just the two of us-plus the kicking sucklings-until the night shift."

"If you weren't pregnant, I'd-"

"Why don't you just fix the damn thing and focus your mind on something else besides mating?" she suggested sharply without question and he slumped his shoulders in defeat. Great, another shift.

"Now you're just breaking my balls, Ana" he pointed out and poked her nose as her lips hitched into a smile, before turning away to stomp towards the console. The stupid thing had already ruined his plans and was angering his mate towards him. That would not stand! If anything infuriated a yautja male beyond belief, it was the impossibility of mating. He stared at the flat silver keys of the panel in contemplation before scratching his head in confusion, "Hmm, I never had a problem with the console. . .are you sure you were using it right?"

Iliana's eyes narrowed dangerously and she snapped, "Are you doubting my intelligence to operate a simple communication device?"

_I hate her mood swings!_, he growled mentally and typed in his son's ship identification number to patch a line through. He crossed his arms impatiently (hoping the raging storm behind him wouldn't yell again) and waited for the light blue screen to pop up with one of the ship's members but received no one. Great, he was stuck between an unresponsive console and his fuming mate.

"See? Has the great Arbitrator been outsmarted by a simple machine?" she asked sarcastically and he snorted in evasion with an irritated frown. Her arms wrapped around his waist from behind as her cheek pressed against his arm and she looked up at him worriedly to ask, "Do you think they're all right, Kantra? I told you I didn't want them traveling to Earth."

_They're too young_, she thought anxiously over her sons. _Kahet is too stubborn sometimes and Leitjin always follows his big brother._

"I'm sure they're either too busy to answer or exploring" he rationalized calmly and squeezed the small hands clutching his gray tunic. He knew his oldest son had the same wanderlust his Iliana contained during their early years together so Kahet rarely picked up the link. However, his youngest son spent a good amount of time inside the ship but maybe he had become enthralled with Earth as well? Either way, he would wait for another chance and ease his mate's usual worry for her children. If he didn't receive a response within half a day, he would investigate then. His children were his most prized possession and he'd kill anybody who dared to lay a hand on them.

Iliana peered up at him as he turned around and squeezed her cheek affectionately with a soft grip to state softly, "I'm sure we will get them on the next several tries so relax for now, dear one."

She nodded half-heartedly and held him again for reassurance. Her planet could never be taken lightly, that was why only warriors at their peak journeyed there but her oldest had been eager to go before his Blooded age (35 and older). She would've preferred until he was a Warrior of seventy years but her son was stubborn, just like both of his parents. They could only hope he mellowed out a bit as he aged. Kantra's fingers ran through her dreadlocked brown hair to soothe her maternal worry and he purred, "They're fine, Iliana. If the ship receives any damage, a report with the coordinates will be forwarded to the Leaders in their daily reports and we will know. Until then, you have no right to worry and I won't let you."

"Because of the sucklings?" she asked with a smile and smoothed a hand over her belly. In two months, Ani-De would operate to surgically remove them due to their account of being twins and the damage their sizes could leave in her uterus through a vaginal birth. For both the mother's and children's safety, Kantra had ordered his brother to operate instead. Iliana didn't care as long as her twins were brought safely into the world.

"Because of _you_, you're everything to me and I won't have you upset" Kantra replied with a smile and pressed his forehead against hers as his hand landed on top of hers to squeeze it. Iliana immediately burst into tears and his green eyes widened to ask worriedly, "What's wrong?!"

"Oh, you're the sweetest yautja in creation!" she bawled as she wiped her eyes and leaned against him. His arms wrapped around her comfortingly and he sighed mentally, he could never grow used to those erratic moods of hers and hoped the two months would pass quickly. He patted her head lovingly as her tears stained his tunic and she sniffled, "I miss my boys, Kantra. Don't leave on a mission until the sucklings are five months old, I don't want to worry over you either."

"I promise" he purred softly and smiled at her concerned nature. It made him laugh at times when he remembered hearing her say she hadn't wanted more than one child. He thought the same for a while after Kahet was born until he realized that his oldest was simply a loud nonstop crier unlike his younger siblings. He prayed to Paya his next two wouldn't be that way. His hands massaged her shoulders gently and he suggested, "Let's go eat and we can go to bed, take a nap, and. . .just lay there."

"No mating?" she asked suspiciously as one teary hazel eye popped open and he laughed at her childish expression. He nodded in agreement and her face brightened up since she wasn't in the best mood to have a romp in bed. His version of romance was a wild mating but his gentle private manner that peeked through when she was distraught always endeared her.

"It'll be like old times when I lived in your home" he told her fondly with a trill and caressed her small hands in his as she smiled at him. His thumbs ran over her knuckles as his black claws lightly grazed her skin, the soft scratching never bothering his mate. He grinned proudly and nipped at her cheek affectionately, "Except you're mines now and I enjoy every minute of peaceful solitude with you, my star."

His happy smile slacked when another wave of fresh tears cascaded down Iliana's face and knew he'd have to keep any emotional words to a minimum. Oh well, at least she wasn't angry with him anymore.

* * *

Aru'Dre moved the items within the human's cooling unit carelessly as he searched through their food supply. Most of the stuff was crap in his view and he'd only managed to find small pieces of edible meat. Really now, where was the real meat? Were the creatures so poor that they couldn't afford sustainable amounts? He hadn't eaten in more than a day and unlike his companions, his hunger was never satiated. Eshin'Ga had told him she'd cook later but he wasn't waiting that long on her command and took matters into his own hands. He snorted with a grunt as he found a half-cooked piece of cold meat but ate it anyway. Ugh, bland. Didn't humans need protein? His human mother ate it all the time like he did. Maybe these humans were missing a gene or incredibly backwards on how meat was the greatest food in the universe. His claws poked on a white object labeled tofu in plastic and he tore it open to try it. Seconds later, he gagged in disgust and shoved it into the depths of the cooling unit. Horrible, simply gut-wrenching horrible! Grabbing a plastic container, he threw it out without checking the contents and continued searching.

"Hey! Hey!" Bianca exclaimed at seeing him raid their small fridge without asking. Since he was huge and a stranger, she didn't dare approach him in case he attacked her. But she didn't want their food destroyed and discarded like trash, she cooked it herself and she prided herself in that. Apart from nursing, cooking was her passion and she wouldn't let a massive alien that could break her in half say otherwise. However, her meek disposition won over and her small hands shook over her chest as she wondered what to do. From a distance, she called out half-heartedly with quivering courage, "I've asked you nicely to stop raiding our fridge. You leave me no choice but. . .but to kindly ask you again."

He waved a hand at her in dismissal and Eshin'Ga took pity on the small female as Bianca bit her small fingernails nervously. The scientist walked over to the smaller male and grabbed a handful of his short black dreads. Aru'Dre hissed in alarm and tried to make her release him by thrashing his hands at her but she tightened her grip until his roots lifted from his scalp. Submitting defeat, he crawled away from the fridge and she let the yowling hunter go to tend to his stinging scalp and broken pride. Bianca sighed in relief that the man didn't ruin more things in the cabin and their leftover supply of food, half of which was scattered all over the floor now.

_I'll have to pick that up_, she thought tiredly. _Who knew aliens could be so messy?_

"Go help Bakuub" Eshin'Ga ordered sharply and he hissed defiantly as he sat cross-legged on the floor. He massaged his abused scalp with a frown and his position reminded her of a tantrum pup. Most of the time, he _passed_ for a pup with his attitude. She crossed her orange-red arms and pointed out sharply, "You're only scaring the oomans, Aru'Dre."

"They should be scared!" he retorted angrily as he stood up from the wooden floor to growl. The throbbing pain on his scalp only fueled his anger and he exclaimed harshly, "We're not meant to get along with them!"

"You're half-ooman, they're nice, I'd think you'd try to be friendly like Leitjin is" she stated firmly with a raised brow which made him hiss dangerously. She knew he was touchy about his genetics, similar to Kahet, but Aru'Dre went to the extreme of despising anything resembling that culture. Except his mother, that hunter just treasured Zia which always made Eshin'Ga laugh. It was ironic almost. The scientist tilted her head and asked with the same curiosity scientists held, "Why don't you like them?"

"Because I don't need more friends" he pointed out bitterly and snorted derisively at the suggestion. It would be absurd and absolutely disgusting to affiliate a hunter with prey. Preposterous! It just didn't make sense to him and their little escapade to help them wouldn't change his mind overnight. His mandibles flared with distaste and he spit out, "Leitjin's nice to everyone, that's him, _I_ don't need to be. And now, they're coming with us so we can give them a nice little sendoff! I didn't ask for their damn help so I'm not going to go on my knees to cater to them! They are aliens and I don't associate myself with them. That alone gives me the right to be an alien hating jerk and make a complete ass of myself!"

"They rescued you, remember? Or does your brain have no cells left? Do you actually hear yourself when you talk?" she demanded exasperatedly and growled at his stubborn mind. Males like him irked her mind to no end and were a waste of time. Unfortunately, the little irritant was a childhood friend and she couldn't bat him away like a pest. She jabbed her finger at him and barked, "Act courteous and do not shame our people and my brother by dishonoring those that aid you."

"Fine but that little one didn't do anything!" he shot back with a defiant hiss and stabbed his finger towards Bianca, who flinched instantly at his action. She didn't understand the strange conversation but she didn't want to leave the room unattended, even if she was being insulted. Also, she couldn't take her eyes away from the furious one in case he tried to attack her. He already seemed to be reaching his boiling point and she didn't want to be alone when he burst like a tea kettle.

_He's had a scowl on his face ever since he arrived_, she thought worriedly.

"She healed Leitjin and made us food from her own generosity, she gets the _same_ treatment" Eshin'Ga stated acidly with threat and walked off to return to an English conversation with the quiet female. She could see the petite being was the most fearful of the four despite her hospitality. To gain her trust, she'd keep speaking to her both to ease her and learn more about her kind. Once the humans were on the ship, Eshin'Ga was pretty sure she would be the first to duck for cover somewhere.

"It's not like she killed a Kainde Amedha queen for me! The only females I talk to are for mating, not chatting!" he shouted at her to have his final say and began to activate his cloak to leave the wretched place when he spotted the irritating human. His golden eyes narrowed instantly in raw hate, his hand dropping away from his gauntlet in second thought, and a deep growl formed in his throat instantly.

_There she is_, he thought spitefully as he watched her enter the main room without a care for his presence. _The most infuriating ooman in all of creation! The bane of my recent existence on this mud ball of a planet._

"You!" both Christina and Aru'Dre snapped in unison as they both glared heatedly at each other. Eshin'Ga and Bianca could only stare in wait as they watched the two cautiously for any hostile movements. Christina tried to pass him, surprisingly taking the peaceful approach, but he blocked her path with his bulk and mimicked her steps making her fume angrily.

_Who the hell does he think he is?!_, she demanded in her mind.

"Get out of my way!" she barked callously and tried to leave but he blocked her again with his agile movements. Oh, he was grinding her last nerve and that smug bastard knew it! His golden eyes gleamed deviously to add further humiliation as she narrowed hers.

"You're the one blocking _me_ with your slow inferior steps" he teased darkly and laughed at her maniacally. He watched her jaw clench and his ego soared higher for humiliating her. He lived for that thrill in life. She glared furiously and pushed his chest with her hands to get him out of her way despite his tall height but it was futile without challenge. He didn't budge an inch and trilled mockingly, "Weakling. Ooman females are like children, small and ignorant."

"And you're as ugly as sin, asshole!" she hurled back in insult and dug into her jean pockets. Pulling out a thin red pixie stick, she tore it open with her fingers and poured the sugar powder into her hand. No one messed with her and she didn't care if he was an alien from outer space. Danger be damned but he needed to be taught a lesson! When her ego was bruised, she would get her revenge at all costs (even with risking danger to herself). Angrily, she yelled at him, "Payback time for bugging me during the ride. Pixie dust attack!"

She threw the sugar dust directly into his eyes and he jumped away from her quickly as the dust stung his eyes in a scratchy fire. Laughing victoriously, she sauntered off with a satisfied smirk while the hunter rubbed his burning eyes frantically. Aru'Dre growled loudly as the powder scratched the inside of his eyelids and his mouth tasted the sugary substance as he tried to spit it out. He didn't know what it was and judging by the human's smugness, it couldn't be anything good.

"ARRGH! Stupid ooman, she poisoned me!" he exclaimed hysterically and anxiously tried to wipe all of the dust off while running amok. Eshin'Ga shook her head with pity at his over-the-wall antics while Bianca tried to hold back a snigger. He pointed blindly towards the empty food counter and yelled accusingly to nobody, "I hope you're happy, Eshin'Ga! I'm going to die now!"

"It's just pixie dust" Bianca mumbled with a deadpan expression, looking at the dramatic hunter. He was jittering everywhere and for once, she felt like laughing at him. He didn't look so tough when he was hopping on his feet and dabbing his eyes crazily. Giggling in pity, she walked over to the sink and wet a blue rag under the sink faucet. Unlike Christina, she wouldn't let the poor being suffer despite his attitude; it just wasn't her. Shutting of the water, she explained calmly, "It's simply candy powder so you're not in any danger. You just angered her and an angry Chris isn't good for you or anybody."

"I'll teach her to mess with me" he growled furiously as he declared vengeance and rubbed his eyes but the tiny sugar particles kept scratching at them. Damn human contraption! Luckily, the other males weren't there or he'd be utterly humiliated to be rendered useless by a squishy human female. A stupid human! Noticing a blurry peach form coming towards him, he snapped acidly, "What now? You're going to finish me off?! I knew that little one wasn't so innocent, Eshin'Ga! What did I tell you?!"

"I'm trying to help you" Bianca sighed tiredly to his rough tone and gave him the rag quickly. She didn't want him to backhand her accidentally, he was huge compared to her short height. Her small feet backed away hastily as she added nervously, "Just wipe your face with that."

Aru'Dre grumbled under his breath but reluctantly listened to the human. Great, he was taking advice from their kind now! He'd already been blinded, what could be worse? He cleared away the dust from his face quickly and blinked his eyes repeatedly until they were clear. That took care of one painful problem but his smell was horrible, the scent of sweet sugar was all he could detect with his sensitive nose. He spotted the timid human female watching him awkwardly and Eshin'Ga trying not to laugh at him and he focused on his main nemesis who'd entered the cabin again while carrying her suitcases. Growling, he threw the wet rag while she was off-guard and hit her directly in the face with a satisfied smirk.

"You bastard! I don't want your hideous alien germs!" she shrieked disgustedly and flung the rag away as if it were riddled with contagious disease. His footsteps thundered as he walked up to her angrily but she quickly pulled out her handy metal bat from behind her suitcase. If he wanted a battle, she'd take the fucker on. Getting into a baseball striking pose, she glared at him with a devilish grin, "Bring it on, fugly. I fucking dare you. I'll re-arrange that mug of yours and make it worse than it already is!"

"Stop fighting!" Bakuub's harsh voice broke into the room from the doorway as he stepped through and once again smacked his forehead against it. He bent down, partly to duck underneath and because the second hit caused pain to the first welt. Clenching his fists, he arched his back and roared angrily, "Argh! Pauk! Damn tiny doorway!"

Aru'Dre laughed at his friend's pain for personal enthusiasm and gave up on his feud with Christina. . .for now. He would break her soon enough. After all, she would be in his ship and unfortunate 'accidents' could happen. With a snort, he raised his chin smugly and walked out of the doorway carefully to rejoin his comrades inside the ship. She simply ignored him and walked back to her room to begin packing her things. Marissa had just finished her duffel bags (though one was ripped somewhat from Sau'Nak's anger the day before) and insisted on packing alone after her humiliation with Kahet; locking the door to make sure she'd be left alone. Bianca finished packing while they had left for their rescue mission and Christina was stuck fixing her _and_ Will's stuff since he'd strolled off merrily to hang out with the aliens, again.

_Lazy brother_, she thought annoyed as she left, lugging away their stuff with a grumble. _I bet if E.T. asked him to pack, he'd do it in a jiffy._

"Hurry up, we will leave within thirty of your minutes unless you want your people to find us" Bakuub ordered both women without room for question. The older female waved him away carelessly with her hand and lugged her luggage away, the sound of plastic wheels scratching at the silence. Bianca simply scrambled off to make sure everything was in place for their leave, despite the destruction of their countertop and bedroom, while worrying about this new development.

_I can't believe we're going to be spending time with aliens, this is. . .scary_, she thought with a sigh and furrowed her brows. _I don't know them, for all I know, they're waiting to eat us. I hope I'm deathly wrong and I get to see my 22nd__ birthday._

"I won't harm you" Bakuub called out to her as he saw her worried glance from the distance. She looked back with surprise that he knew what she was thinking and quickly ducked into the hallway to meet up with Christina. He tilted his head and smirked in amusement, "That silly little creature."

* * *

"We're actually taking them with us?" Aru'Dre complained loudly in misery as he walked into the first floor hallway of their ship. The other males simply ignored his outbursts as they usually did and quickened their paces to leave him behind. The irate hunter caught up to them, oblivious to the fact that they were trying to leave his presence, and exclaimed, "I thought Bakuub was kidding and would leave them in the dust! Someone pinch me because this is a horrible nightmare!"

Sau'Nak turned around instantly and pinched him hard on his left bicep and Aru'Dre hung his head at the reality, not wincing at the painful pinch. Kahet then pinched his other arm with a smirk while Bakuub punched his left arm directly over the pilot's previous pinch.

"I said _one_, damn it!" Aru'Dre growled, pushing the three males away, and rubbed his left arm with a scowl. Great, all his friends could do was have fun at his expense while aliens would be wandering their ship. This was dark humor biting his ass; _he_ was supposed to create humiliation for others! He snorted derisively and snapped menacingly, "They better not share my room or else they'll disappear within the hour."

_If they even try, I'll scare them to death myself_, he thought deviously and smiled at imagining the shrill female accidentally skewering herself under his weapons collection. _Now that would be wonderful gift from the gods._

"It's only for a few hours, it won't be an entire day" Kahet informed stiffly, smacking his cousin's head for sheer fun and to quiet him. Why didn't he have better sense? Or people skills? With a growl, he ordered, "Don't plot their demise either. You act like they're a disease and no logs verify they are during short-term contact. I happen to like them, especially after their crazy rescue."

"They made fun of you for wanting to mate that female and you _still_ like them?" Aru'Dre asked bluntly, bursting into fits of laughter again at the mentioned incident. Kahet glared heatedly at his cousin and walked off hastily without further words as his resentful growl echoed in the hallway. The other male called after him in between laughs, "Come on, it was hilarious! Hmm. . .maybe that male ooman isn't so bad. Comedy and humiliation has always been a fond weakness of mine."

"Unfortunately, muteness and polite manners aren't your forte" Sau'Nak stated dryly without sparing him a glance of recognition and Aru'Dre hissed in his direction for the insult. Being the sort of hunter that was riled at any insult, the pilot simply walked further ahead smugly in triumph for getting the aimed reaction.

"Why you-" Aru'Dre growled but Bakuub yanked him back by the back of his mesh to keep him in place. He didn't need a fight breaking between the two and look uncivilized to the human creatures. The sepia hunter settled a growl in his throat and muttered, "I'm starting to see why that female got angry at this asshole."

"I like them, despite that incident with Kahet" Leitjin said aloud, trying to keep a straight innocent face but laughed loudly. Kahet wasn't there so what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. His head stung after his brother finished torturing him and he'd tagged along to seek undercover revenge as the hunter tried to apologize to Marissa profusely. There, Leitjin twisted his brother's friendly words around (he learned quite a lot with the dirty mind Aru'Dre held) until the human wouldn't let Kahet get a word in edgewise. He could be quite an innocent scamp but was sure the two would patch up. He didn't see Marissa as one to hold a grudge and Kahet was happy for new friends (but wouldn't show it). Aru'Dre chuckled to his comment, forgetting his previous anger, and the two burst into louder cackles.

"What are you two babbling about?" Bakuub grunted irritably, confused to the joke the two were sharing. Only he and Sau'Nak missed the laughing stock and unlike the pilot who didn't care for sarcasm, Bakuub was more than interested to bask in his best friend's misfortune. It was innocent banter and he wouldn't be offensive like Aru'Dre. He rolled his eyes and pointed out sharply, "Stop that. You sound like giggling juvenile females."

"I told Marissa that he wanted to sneak access to the room again to cop a feel while he tried to apologize while promising he wouldn't enter again" Leitjin laughed as clear tears threatened his vision and inhaled deeply before he broke into laughing convulsions.

"I've been teaching you well" Aru'Dre smirked proudly and punched his shoulder lightly in approval. Leitjin smiled at being 'one of the guys' and raised his chin in success. He was finally fitting in with the rough crowd of hunters. Frankly, it was tough to fit in when one was a medic and healed others while they hunted and got the glory.

"Did he actually want to mate one?" Sau'Nak asked sourly, closing in his mandibles in disgust. He could see why the underlying psychology of his parents background could stir up such thoughts in his cousin but. . .they were aliens! Beings with foreign bacteria and strange faces, the concept was inconceivable to him. He shook his head and hissed curtly, "It's absurd."

"I don't know if it's actually fact but he broke the bed" Aru'Dre jeered, wishing Kahet was still there so he could mock him, and the two cousins began laughing again. Sau'Nak simply turned away and brushed the topic away from his mind. He wouldn't bother himself with such ludicrous ideas.

Bakuub, however, ordered the males, "There will be no mating on my ship. I don't care who or what it is, it's not happening." Pointing to the usual culprit who caused such mischief, he growled firmly with narrowed golden eyes, "Especially you. I don't know who the hell you brought here last time but you ruined my conference table and a window. How the pauk do you break a shatter-proof window?! The point is, stay away from the females."

"I wouldn't touch them if my life depended on it" Aru'Dre hissed defensively and crossed his arms arrogantly. With a derisive snort, he scoffed, "I'm too much of a man to handle for such delicate beings. I don't know what's Kahet's deal with his kinkiness for them-"

"I can hear you!" Marissa called angrily from behind as she adjusted her black backpack and struggled to keep a bloated duffel bag in her arms. She'd been hearing their conversation, some parts in English and others in their clicking language, but she would _not_ have her name sullied. She was not one of those people in alien films that got kinky with any aliens or artificially inseminated by one. Hell, a Martian started looking pretty good compared to these guys! They may have had the bodies of Olympic gods but. . .oh great, she was giving them a compliment already. With a snarl, she shot back, "And we did _not_ do anything! Who in their right mind would?!"

"Or so you say" Will teased with a toothy grin and she kicked the back of his knee. He yelped to the surprising pain and hobbled away quickly with his belongings, a half-empty backpack. Unlike the women, he wasn't a pack rat. He frowned and muttered, "I don't like it when you're mean, you turn into normal Chris. No one likes normal Chris as it is."

The furious blond then proceeded to kick in the back of his other unhurt kneecap and he fell to the floor with two injured knee joints. He massaged his throbbing knees and cried out, "What the hell?!"

"Use your indoor voices" Bianca hushed them nervously as she kept a watchful eye on the aliens. On his side, Bakuub could only pity the little female for putting up with them. . .similarly to how he handled his insane crew.

The four humans had followed them after emptying out their belongings from the cabin and making sure no trace of the yautja was left there. No humans had approached their site in the past two hours so they left as soon as they were ready (Christina took the longest due to her three suitcases). The most painful blow (quite literally) was when Bakuub decided to blow up Will's truck and disintegrate the evidence making to poor guy sob about soaring insurance rates and money. As they walked from behind, Christina couldn't help but grit her teeth at what happened to their cabin and their car.

_They better give me a good room after everything or I'm throwing a bitch fit of epic proportions_, she thought heatedly as she glared at the back of Aru'Dre's head. _And him. . .oh, how I loathe him._

"Can't believe we're bunking with aliens" Aru'Dre snorted disdainfully in their language and a deep growl settled in his throat. He wouldn't be able to relax knowing aliens were prowling the halls. Grumpily, he muttered, "Shameful."

'_I resent that, I'm an alien'_, Shadow's voice popped up from above the ceiling as he entered their path. He'd been clinging to a wall off to their left as the large group entered the ship and landed onto the floor before the males to greet them. He'd grown used to Aru'Dre's defensive xenophobia, largely because his closest friend was Eshin'Ga and she could clobber the male into dust. He knew the hunter wouldn't make it easy during the short trip and Shadow would opt to watch over the fragile creatures.

"You're only one, they're four" he shot back and crossed his arms as he walked stiffly. Humans were a disease, except for his mother and aunt, and because of their genetics he'd been ridiculed as he grew up. He wanted nothing to do with the bothersome species and wondered why Kahet even wanted to. The older hunter had been traumatized the most by his experiences and protected him despite his spitfire personality when they were pups. He didn't like the word human at all and wouldn't change his view on them. It made him want to smack Kahet upside the head for it to give him common sense but his cousin wouldn't hesitate on returning the beating. . .so he would keep on complaining nonstop. Maybe he'd turn his view against them with time. Shadow, however, was an alien he was used to seeing and a part of him didn't want to end up being accidentally mauled during his sleep for his snide comments. He waved him away and pointed out, "Besides, I'm used to you now. I consider you an ally."

"That's an epic choice for you" Bakuub muttered dryly but hastened his pace when the sepia male turned to glare at him.

_Why the pauk is everyone mocking me today?!_, Aru'Dre thought hotheadedly and clenched his fists against his sides. _We should be mocking the humans!_

'_Leitjin likes them'_, Shadow spoke up, looking at the medic who nodded amicably to the comment. _'And I find them interesting as well.'_

"Great, then let's throw them a celebration because you and Leitjin found new friends" he retorted sarcastically and stomped off into the nearby hallway, muttering under his breath, "We're not supposed to befriend prey."

"Sau'Nak, ready the ship quickly" Bakuub ordered crisply and massaged his temples. The pilot simply nodded and left without another word. This was not his day and it was barely even over. He didn't care for Aru'Dre's rants but would make sure he stayed in line during the trip. Paya only knows what sadistic humor lurks in that mind of his. In English, he directed to the humans without turning, "Oomans, follow me."

"We'll be nearby!" Leitjin called out to the small group as he and Shadow headed into the third hallway intersection.

The four followed him anxiously as they held their belongings, eyes watchful of the captain and the area surrounding them. Will withheld a painful groan as he made his bruised kneecaps walk his lower legs. Christina lugged her many bags without much help and glared at every object and person within a three foot radius. If she'd know their car would be blow up by a bunch of crab-face aliens, she would've brought less baggage! The large reddish leader stayed quiet as he led them down the dimly lit hallway making Christina grumble about 'adding a few lights'. Bianca shushed her quietly for her remark and hoped her cousin wouldn't make humankind seem worse than they had already been treated. Bakuub ignored the blond and felt like a warrior leading Unbloods to their first training session, irritated and ready to smack them into place. He didn't know what to make of the strange beings but he'd give them the benefit of the doubt since they helped him (and the skittish female sealed that idea of benevolence since she sought peace from all sides) and he wouldn't be rude like Aru'Dre. Will's eyes traced over the walls giddily, trying not to let the pain from his knees overcome his mind, and strayed from the group as he lagged behind. Christina merely gave him a sidelong glance but stopped to tap her foot impatiently.

"I feel like a kid in Disneyland" he said mesmerized to his family who rolled their eyes, with the exception of Bianca. The younger woman only smiled kindly and sighed when his sister walked over to yank him away from his wall fondling. It was getting creepy in Christina's view, they weren't meant to ogle aliens; they weren't gods!

"You're twenty-six, you're too old for that shit!" she snapped and shook her head as she tugged him along. His sneakers squeaked over the metal floor and Bakuub had to mentally wince at the female's dominance. Were most human females like her? If so, they were the miniatures of his people's females! Will wriggled against her hold as they approached the three but her iron hold was unbreakable.

Still, he insisted nonetheless with a raised his index finger, "I have the golden heart of a child!"

"And the brain of a child" his twin mumbled irritably to his idiotic rants and spoke up, "Hey, Barney-"

"Bakuub, ooman!" the hunter growled heatedly, not amused by her open disrespect, and gave a fierce side-glance without stopping. Seriously, he could crush her species with one swing of his arm. Sharply, he stated, "Learn it unless you want me calling you by your backwards species."

_It's not that hard to pronounce_, he told himself.

"Arggh, fine" she agreed reluctantly and rolled her eyes once he turned around. Since he was a leader and didn't grind her last nerve like Screechy (she'd no idea what the brown hunter's name was or cared), she would listen to him. Besides, she didn't want to end up as alien chow if she pissed him off. Rule 1 of survival: Make allies with the leader. Releasing her yelping brother from her iron grip, she spoke up in question, "I don't live where the others do so what do I do?"

"That is _your_ problem, _we_ must go to another location on your planet before our time here runs out" he explained calmly without giving away information to the fuming woman behind him. His debt for their help would be paid off with their drop-off in the city, the rest was up to the humans. Bluntly, he finished, "I'm sure you can manage."

"You blew up our car!" she exclaimed indignantly and refrained from throwing her suitcase at his head. These aliens just kept pissing her off all the time! She grit her teeth but Bianca grabbed her by the shoulder before she did anything stupid to compromise their stay. The blond stopped with reluctance but glared at his back to threaten, "I ought to break your spear. And we better not get sick, who knows what disgusting alien bacteria lie here, just waiting to destroy my body? I'll infect you with my germs if it happens!"

Bakuub snorted amusingly, laughing at the concept of the squishy alien actually creating damage to his person, and led them to the middle of the main hallway where unmarked closed doors lined both walls. He pointed to the farthest on the left end, across from the med station that Leitjin called his domain, and the women blinked to the closed door.

"Yeah, it's called a door" Christina mocked smartly before he could explain and smirked to rile him further, "Don't tell me you've mastered space flight and can't open a door?"

"Ignore her, she doesn't represent us" Marissa intervened, stepping before her cousin to obscure the view between both. For a woman of Christina's lashing tongue, it needed all three of them to play peacekeeper. With a kind smile, she motioned to Bakuub with a hand and nodded politely, "Please continue."

"You can put your things in there for the remainder of your trip" he instructed them with a stiff authoritarian voice and they nodded, with the exception of the blond. His gut told him she wouldn't maintain any peace as long as Aru'Dre prowled the hallways. It was going to be an uneasy trip as two cultures were to be contained inside a ship, for better or worse. The whole fact just screamed basis for intergalactic media shows that he'd seen in the docking ports. Glancing at the women, who he knew would rather keep their distance, he explained, "There is a bed inside so you may rest after today's excitement and the trip should not take long. Two hours at the most."

"Thanks, Bakuub" Will smiled, giving him a friendly military salute. Christina sighed to his jovial attitude (which wasn't needed in her view) and headed for the indicated room by herself. Marissa and Bianca followed their cousin warily in case she thought of remodeling whatever lied inside and waved to both of them as they left. Sparing a glance to the yautja, he explained calmly, "Bianca's shy so she'll most likely stay in there. Don't know about Marissa. I'm sure Christina will be causing non-lethal arguments so I'll apologize beforehand. So can I go talk to Leitjin or the others?"

"You do not seem afraid of us at all" Bakuub spoke slowly, his mind curious as to how that could be. Lesser species, especially those without intergalactic space flight, were always suspicious of anything different than their own kind. Was he an exception of some sort? He was interested in knowing more about their small group since he was the friendliest of all in his view. Bianca was pretty much timid in any conversation with him, even a greeting, and counted her out when it came to asking questions. Marissa was still brooding over an incident with his best friend- Paya knows what the hell that was about- and wouldn't overstep his bounds. And Christina. . .there was nothing he could say to that female without being yelled at.

In his adolescent studies of the Hunt, human males were the top aggressors unlike their docile female counterparts. He began to doubt that view whenever he saw Iliana yelling at Arbitrator Kantra and downsizing him to a pup. He motioned for the human to follow if he wished and pondered aloud, "Most oomans are known to fear the unknown, especially with how different we look. Our physique's aren't similar to yours and when a being is scared, they either run or defend themselves. . .or so the theories are written. So my question is why do you befriend those so different from you very easily? You saw the kind of destruction we could cause and unfortunately, the ungrateful personalities of two of my crew."

"I'm very open-minded and Leitjin pretty much had the women eating from his hand with his no-violence nature" Will shrugged with a laugh as he explained, "I've always wondered about aliens, monsters, and all that propaganda since I was small and grew used to it. Bianca never liked that stuff which is why she's scared pretty easy. There's other people who seek the truth as well, either for good or ill. Just because you're an alien doesn't stop me from giving a helping hand because we're from two different galaxies. How far away are you guys anyway?"

"Very far" Bakuub stated, giving away nothing but answering nonetheless as he walked with Will down the hallway again. He wasn't a perfect conversationalist nor a skilled lecturer (Sau'Nak won that rank hands down) but he tried to give the human known tidbits about his kind, "We travel the stars on large motherships for most of our lives unless we're on our own private vessels. Our people only visit our homeworld every twenty years or so to upgrade our ships since we'd rather leave our world untouched. Only specific species with permits may enter our world, we hold it as dear to us as our own families." Will's grin widened as he went on, "My people hunt for prestige and for the continuous succession of our clan. While you work for your own gain and feeding a currency ruled economy, we hunt for our family's honor and to strengthen and support our entire clan as a whole."

_Like an old yet highly technologically advanced hunter-gatherer society_, Will thought impressively and filed away the information he'd been given.

"So you guys hunt. . ." he spoke up curiously, motioning with his hand to continue.

_I wonder if he'll overreact at my answer_, Bakuub thought pensively, almost crossing his arms in habit. _It usually does with other cultures._

"Worthy prey, including oomans" he stated simply to get the whole shebang over with and the humans eyes widened slightly at the revelation. Raising his hand calmly, he said firmly, "We will not hurt you, rest assured. We only hunt armed and powerful prey, never unarmed beings. . .especially those who lend aid without question. That is how our society was shaped millions of years ago and we continue it. Some find it barbaric but we have our honor and that is what matters."

"You guys are pretty proud of your heritage" Will acknowledged with firm nod making Bakuub chuckle deeply. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed politely, "No biggie, I'm proud of mine too. I won't judge your culture in any way and no one really should for egocentric kicks unless you sacrifice people on altars."

He laughed at his own joke while Bakuub blinked unsurely to the comment to say, "We do not sacrifice beings."

"It's a joke, big guy" Will eased with a friendly grin and crossed his arms in thought to frown, "Christina may be a different issue, she's dramatic that way but she packs a mean punch. Like I said, I respect everyone's choices in life. We're all adults here and capable of knowing each decision made."

"Actually, we're still considered young in our culture until we're in our seventies or so and only then will we be seen as worthy members of our clan" Bakuub told him with a slight nervous hitch in his rattling voice but felt at ease speaking to the peaceful human. Turning to a corner at the end of the hallway, he led him towards a stairway and asked, "Would you like to see the next level?"

"Would I?!" he answered ecstatically as his boyish dreams came true on exploring an alien ship and hurled his duffel bag like a football through the open door of their temporary room across the hall. Scoring his field goal, he heard a thump inside and a yell of complaint from one of them. Whoops. He ignored it as Bakuub stared at the ruckus brewing inside and Will asked thoughtfully, "So why are you telling me all this? Sau'Nak was pretty tight-lipped about everything relating to you guys. He didn't even want to tell us his name until Marissa pried it out of him. I couldn't get a straight answer out of him about anything which pissed off Christina when it came to helping your team escape."

_I'm not surprised_, Bakuub thought dryly. _He's too much like his father sometimes._

"That's how he is, he's very. . .uptight" the hunter replied, trying to find the right word for his younger stoic friend. His people weren't supposed to give away any information and the pilot was as tightlipped as they came. He, on the other hand, would do whatever possible for his crew. Growing up with them from childhood and abandoning them during a hunt was plain dishonorable to his pride and would never allow it. Climbing the stairs, Will followed diligently as he continued, "He follows our laws strictly to the last word as any honorable yautja would. I may be a leader over this small group of mine but I understand when rules may be bent by loopholes. Besides, you're not antagonizing or hostile toward us so I hold you as no threat to any of this information. It's basic knowledge, anyway."

"I'm a representative for peace, just ask my family" Will laughed amicably as the two reached the second level. The lighting was brighter and he guessed most of the crew wandered this level instead. Looking at the sheer metal walkway and open doorless rooms unlike those on the first floor, he exclaimed, "This is by far the greatest moment of my life! I'm in a live spaceship, not one of those fake make-believe ones either! Man, the big buy upstairs sure gave me a kickass present!"

_Oomans are. . .strangely interesting_, Bakuub thought perplexed as he stared at his human companion began to wander forwards as if he were on his first plane trip all over again.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the lateness of the chapter, as you can see, it's mostly humor filled which is how most will be until Bakuub's group leaves for their next trigger happy hunting trip. Pretty much everyone is at ease with alien encounters, except for Aru'Dre, Christina, and Sau'Nak but that's what differentiates one OC from another. The next chapter will be up sooner, I promise, I took quite a bit to post since I'm working on other non-Predator fics now (not that I'm abandoning the awesome world of Predator- especially that new AVP game coming out this year) and dealing with personal health issues (I'm always riddled with those). Thanks to my last reviewers: _Ginstar3_ and _wicked falcon_. As always, thanks for reading and if you have any questions or feedback, I'll answer you guys back.


	11. Flying Robots & Screaming Women

CHAPTER 11:

**Flying Robots & Screaming Women**

* * *

Bianca had switched from her cozy pink turtleneck into a lightweight tank top to escape the suffocating heat onboard. She'd gotten used to the chilly outdoors of Yosemite during the week and now felt as if she was in Death Valley itself with the heat the ship produced. Even the walls were warm to the touch! She didn't want to leave the room in fear of getting lost and possibly hurt so she'd decided to stay inside unless someone visited. However, the sauna setting wasn't working so well to keep her relaxed. She was in someone else's home though and thought it would be impolite to search around it as if she were familiarized with it. She'd been taught to respect unknown places and treat them as one would their own home so she would bear the heat and humidity.

"I'll be fine, I'll just read a book" she assured herself, shrugging and looking around the empty room. The other two women had left half an hour ago to explore boldly while she remained behind, too petrified to step foot on the alien vessel. Biting her bottom lip in self-pity, she sighed with a low mumble, "Why am I always left behind?"

Christina had decided to hear music while traveling around the first floor aimlessly and simultaneously devise an ingenious plan against that smug hunter for throwing his dirty rag at her. He grated her nerves more than Sau'Nak (hoping Marissa would plan revenge on him too) and awaited the hour when he'd submit to her greatness. Grinning madly, she walked the humid hallway while brushing her sweaty hair back but it only stuck to her damp skin. Great. The stupid humidity already flattened what little volume her hair had gotten from the chilly morning and grit her teeth when sweat trailed down the back of her neck.

_I'll show him what Christina Pearson's all about_, she thought mischievously as she brought her hands together to rub them sneakily. The sweat only made them more clammy and she grimaced instantly, wiping them off on her shorts. _Gross!_

She saw the navy skeletal alien, Shadow, and whistled loudly to catch his attention. He practically clung to the wall in surprise at the strange piercing noise and halted in place, wondering if she was declaring an attack on him. Humans were unpredictable after all. She jogged over to him as he climbed down slowly but she was unafraid of the alien after working alongside him. Unlike the yautja, he was perfectly calm throughout stressful scenarios and didn't scorn her with any words which made him okay in her book. Once the being sauntered over, she decided to pat his head immediately to show she came in peace. . .and to pat him (she couldn't avoid ignoring that itchy feeling that he needed to be petted). Shadow sighed at the motion since pups on board the Ade'k'ra did that when they visited him on the Science level to see their first hard meat and let her indulge. Sure, she wasn't a child but he'd learned they could be quite the curious species. Meanwhile, Christina pursed her lips thoughtfully as she touched his slick but hard head curiously as if the poor alien was an inanimate bowling ball. Finally, his skin reminded her of a waxy but tough apple's skin. There, she'd managed to quench that itch by solving that puzzle.

"So how did you guys meet?" Christina asked curiously and stopped petting him. She got the feeling he wasn't all for it when his tail lied limp on the floor and his bony shoulders slumped down. She decided to call that the 'kill me now' expression and saved him the humiliation by indulging in conversation. Her arched eyebrow raised as she pointed out, "Obviously you're not the same species. Excuse the bluntness but I like getting straight to the point."

'_I met them while they were on a trip on my world'_, he explained calmly and the two walked together through the hallway he came from. She couldn't see if he was affected by the heat and if so, he was a pro at not showing discomfort. Sweat practically poured down her forehead and the dim lighting did nothing to help the temperate and Shadow explained part of his tale, _'My people shunned me when I matured into an adult due to my independent intellect unlike my brethren and different skin toning so I wandered the land on my own to survive, staying away from other territories that could attack me for trespassing. My species is fiercely territorial and will kill all intruders without warning. One day, I spotted their group while I wandered an unknown area with a curious mind for exploring and accidentally fell onto Aru'Dre as I climbed through a dilapidated tunnel that gave way.'_

"He can't be very good if he gets caught off-guard and needs help from aliens like us all the time" Christina snorted with a superior smirk and let him continue.

'_I escaped before they could attack but I encountered them again while they fought a group of my kind'_, he went on and straightened his back to take on a more bipedal form, shifting his weight to his legs rather than his entire form. For a moment, she thought he was going to walk with a perfect upright posture but his torso remained slouchy. Guess he wasn't built that way. Nonetheless, he recounted, '_I kept following them out of curiosity, I'd never seen another species before, but Aru'Dre didn't like it since I'd fallen on him and dislikes aliens in particular. He tried to shoot me twice before Bakuub stopped him, it is hard for their people to see mine as peaceful. I spoke to them about who I was and led them around my planet to secure my truthfulness while they finished their mission. They told me who they were, similar to your own situation, but they had never seen one like me from all of my kind. Eshin'Ga called me a unique anomaly, I still don't see why, I'm sure there's many like me out there. I asked to come with them since. . .well, I never fit in anywhere on my planet so I wanted to explore beyond the reaches of my land. I wished to see what lied above the sky and eventually, they agreed.'_

"They're a serious bunch, huh?" she snorted with a wry smile and patted his head again but with a gentle stroke this time to show empathy for his own tale of life. In a way, he'd experienced the same as she except his whole planet was at his heels. How long had he endured all that? Shadow groaned to the strange action making her laugh.

'_You've no idea'_, he told her absentmindedly and chuckled in a series of rapid clicks. It was the first verbal action he'd done that her own ears could interpret and she smiled at the sharp clattering clicks. His tail swung gently behind him and he admitted modestly, _'Apparently, my kind wasn't liked at all and I came to understand it the hard way on their mothership. It is a humongous vessel, called the Ade'k'ra and it was hard not to feel tiny amongst the sea of people that glared at you left and right. Feeling left out again, Eshin'Ga befriended me since she was a scientist onboard and because she also wanted to know more about my kind to debunk certain theories. Either way, we shared a nice camaraderie that's grown and now. . .well, I'm here so I must be doing something right.'_

"I like you, Shadow" she stated with a rare tone of gentleness shining through her harsh attitude and he tilted his head curiously. Sure, she wasn't about to get mushy with anyone, friend or family, but she wasn't an emotionless bitch. The corners of her lips hitched into a small smile and she admitted with a firm tone, "We're both aliens on board another alien ship trying to survive. You protected me and my brother back on that field so I won't forget it. That takes guts to do and I respect you for that. If you don't want to stay with them, I'll hide you in my house in Reno. It won't be easy but you're welcome to it."

'_Thank you for the offer but I will stay here where it's safer'_, he said, touched by her suggestion. Shadow found it rare to find good friends, especially among a ship of aliens that hunted his kind for prestige, but the humans kept surprising him. _'Your kind does not know of other sentient life yet and I fear I could end up incarcerated for life inside a laboratory. If your planet was different and evolved to have alliances with other species, I would agree but your species has much to learn.'_

"You're right, but it was worth a shot" she said casually with a shrug, heaving a small sigh through her lips. Though she wasn't keen on aliens, especially that stupid one that got on her nerves, she liked the skeletal Shadow. Looking at him, she pouted with an airily sigh of woe, "I could've had you as a personal guard- you're dangerous from head to toe, literally. A girl can dream though."

'_One main reason why my kind is feared yet sought out'_, he pointed out simply and tilted his head slightly in thought. The human was apparently interested in his species since she'd obviously never met them and he indulged her curiosity. '_We're divided into categories as we grow whether as drones who simply tend to our leader, warriors like myself that protect our Hive, praetorians that will be the new leader, or even Queens. There are rumors of Kings but I've never seen one myself. Our species is androgynous unless you're the Queen but if she needs a random mate for reproduction, we will take a male reproduction role. We're very agile in any environment and our bodies are practically weapons themselves.'_

"Don't I know it? I don't need a replay of the fight to know that" she laughed amusingly and fought the temptation to pat his round banana-shaped head again. He did just say he was a killing machine. She found it odd that he saw without any physical eyes and maintained perfect targeting accuracy but it only served to increase her intriguing.

'_Go ahead, I can see your expression'_, he allowed hopelessly and leaned his head down to reach her height. She happily petted him again with a childish grin and he decided to enjoy it since he didn't seem to have a choice anymore. Humans were quite the curious creatures.

"Now, can you help me exact revenge on Aru'Dre?" she asked slyly after finishing her petting, eager to gain an accomplice in her pursuit. He stared at her bright face riddled with mischief with his nonexistent eyes and couldn't help but shake the front of his head in similarity to the hunters.

'_He will murder you'_, he tried to ward off gently.

"Let him, I'll haunt him till eternity" she scoffed cockily and crossed her arms confidently over her chest.

The two chuckled together and kept walking down the dim halls of the first floor. Their echoes bounced off the metal walls as she told him the best tactics for revenge.

* * *

Marissa explored the second level of the ship carefully and stuck close to the walls, trying not to activate the sensory doors and accidentally stumble into something not meant for her. She'd spent the last twenty minutes deciding whether or not to ask where their bathroom was and had gone to Eshin'Ga embarrassedly before her bladder exploded. The older female led her to a large room on the second floor without complaint and instructed her how to use the high-tech toilet. Thankful, she'd used it quickly despite it was huge to her since she was smaller compared to them and was glad she hadn't fallen inside while the ship sailed through the sky.

_It was worse than an airplane bathroom_, she thought darkly as she walked through the main hallway of the second floor. _Darn bladder, this is your fault! I've never felt so embarrassed._

She'd tried to find either Will and Christina to see how they were doing but found neither. God, she hoped Christina wasn't waging war against the residents onboard. Bianca had been reluctant to leave with her so she'd gone off on her own to discover the place. Sure, she was a little wary at first but nobody onboard gave her an eerie vibe. . .well, only angry vibes from Aru'Dre. She couldn't help but touch the beautiful and unknown alien carvings on the walls as they depicted yautja figures and unreadable symbolic words all over. Touching the artwork was a gift of a lifetime for a species like hers that didn't know what really lied in deep space and would treasure that rare allowance of peeking into another world.

Walking again, she found a large open room decorated with several seats made from a furry alien fabric and leather-like material. Duh, she wouldn't have expected anything resembling Earth furniture and liked the strange furnishings. There was a round metal table in the middle of the room as silver data pads lay scattered on top of it. She saw a large window to her left as the blue sky and puffy white clouds passed by in greeting. The ship was definitely moving faster than a regular plane, that was for sure. Curious, she walked across the room and looked out the viewing window, feeling lucky to have such an experience here. No one else would see this (or maybe others had and kept it quiet?) and she smiled to wonder if any kind of planes would see their ship. She doubted it, after all, ufo's were known to have invisibility shields and Bakuub's ship was no exception. She'd seen that firsthand when they landed in the forest. Her hands touched the glass, real glass- not that plastic stuff they used on planes- and looked down at the jumble of clouds rushing below.

"Marissa" a calm voice called from behind and she jumped startled, turning around to shove her hands into her jean pockets to appear undisturbed. Sau'Nak was standing before her with his arms crossed behind his back and she narrowed her eyes to his unwelcome presence. He sauntered over slowly to show he wanted to speak with her but she stepped away from him quickly. There were two sides with that guy from what she could see.

_What does he want now? Criticize my family?_, she thought defensively. _Wait, shouldn't he be flying the ship?_

"I came to apologize for my behavior back in your dwelling" he spoke cleanly without faltering and she scoffed at his automatic tone. Was that supposed to be an excuse? It was like a bully making a house call, you knew they were faking and they'd beat you up the next day.

"Humans accept apologies when they're honest, not offered out of duty" Marissa pointed out coldly and crossed her arms over her chest. She'd knock him off his high pedestal verbally to bruise his ego and show him humanity was not weak. "Will and Bianca may let you get away with that rude attitude since they're too nice to say otherwise but I'm not. You were cold and ungrateful towards people who gave you aid when you needed it without asking and did we get a thank you at least? No, your own leader had to do it for you and he didn't know us as long!"

_Why are oomans so difficult to deal with? Their rampant emotions run their logic_, he thought and tried to get through the conversation to cross it off his list. Bakuub wanted him to do this and he would; it didn't mean he had to like it.

"I do apologize for that and for stating I was superior to you, despite the fact that-" he began matter-of-factly and she held up a hand to stop him. He flared his mandibles slightly in irritation to her disruption but allowed it. There wasn't a need for another verbal fight and he wanted to leave quickly to monitor the ship.

"Stop with the facts, you sound like a college lecture" she sighed with a frown on her lips and lowered her hand to stuff it into her jean pocket again. Softly, she tried to make him understand her viewpoint, "I was kind to you and I expected nothing in return but I didn't think you'd ever see yourself being so highly over me despite you were the one in our home using our things. Would you like it if I- an alien- barged into your home unannounced, demanded things, and spit it back in your face while proclaiming how mightier I am than you? How can you expect me not to be insulted? If that's your way of perfect intergalactic mannerisms, you have a _lot_ of work to do."

_He's like a block of wood!_, she thought with annoyance. _Is his entire species this way? I've looked at Aru'Dre and he's the same too!_

Both individuals stared each other down to gain the upper hand in the conversation. Marissa wanted a real apology for all the help she'd given while Sau'Nak wasn't going to lower himself by doing so with a prey species. She was tiny under his 6'11 build and he could've crushed her in his palm but he had to give her credit on being gutsy. Unlike Christina who pissed him off with every word out of her strange mouth, Marissa was a neutral corner that sought compromises but she had her breaking point.

"You're right and I apologize" Sau'Nak said at last, quietly uttering the words under his breath. He would justify an apology with the verdict of an awful slip of mannerisms towards a civilian and that would be the end of it. Marissa's eyes widened to his words but said nothing as he went on calmly, "My words were appalling, contrary to the way I was raised to behave, and I hope you accept my apology. It will not happen again."

_Yeah because I'll never see you again_, she thought and avoided his face, not wanting to appear needy or triumphant over winning the challenge.

"Fine" she agreed quietly and looked out the window again through the corner of her eyes. She didn't want to argue with him anymore, seeking to leave this ship with a friendly ambiance. Quietly, she asked him, "Could I stay here for a bit by myself, please?"

"Of course" he said with a small nod and turned to leave for the control room. Haltering in his steps and without turning back, he spoke openly, "Thank you for your help today, Marissa. We will not meet again so farewell."

"Sau'Nak. . ." she called softly but hesitated on what to say. He gave her a side-glance with his ruby gaze and she murmured faintly, "Goodbye."

He nodded once and left quietly, his steps creating no noise whatsoever, making her sigh at the whole discussion. Well, at least it was over with. She sat down in one of the seats, which were pretty soft and comfortable against her form to relax in. She wondered about the stoic pilot and his impossible reasoning regarding her species but shook her head. There were enough problems and endless questions in her mind right now, she didn't need any more. Putting her backpack on the metal floor, she pulled out her wireless headphones and activated her digital music by voicing her playlist option. Hearing a stream of classical music flow through, she leaned back into the seat and hoped to fall asleep to let the tension roll away.

* * *

Bianca had almost fallen asleep on the soft bed covered by brown pelts made of who knows what when she heard the door swish open. Yawning, she opened her eyes to see not one of her cousins but a navy eyeless face staring at her with a row of sharp white teeth. The perfect picture for a horror movie.

"OH MY GOD!!" she shrieked in terror to high heaven and jumped up on the bed to escape. She chucked her book at the dark creature who dodged it easily with a mere tilt of his head as she tried to run out of the room. The blankets tripped her as she dragged them down with her and she kept screaming her lungs off while Shadow simply watched her without a making a move. It was humorous to him but he wouldn't laugh since the human believed he was a threat.

"Bianca, calm down!" Christina burst in through the door seconds later, grabbing the frightened woman off the floor (the blankets were dealing more damage than the poor Xenomorph) and into her arms to quiet her. Bianca clung onto her desperately, kicking the blankets off her feet frantically, and tried not to look at the frightening newcomer that stared at them quietly. The blond dismissed her terror with a scoff to explain, "It's just Shadow. He'd never hurt you, he's the nicest one here besides Leitjin."

"He has razor-sharp teeth!" she quickly pointed out but the words were muffled since her face was covered by her cousin's sweater. Bianca swatted the arm covering her mouth to pluck off lint from her tongue and suspiciously eyed the navy alien known as Shadow. He didn't even look human like the other ones!

'_I am sorry if I frightened you but she is right, I won't harm you'_, Shadow assured her gently as he crouched down on the floor. _'I'm a passive being most of the time and I won't attack unless provoked.'_

"I like him, he's crafty" Christina grinned impishly at her then towards Shadow, who happily wagged his tail at easy acceptance from an alien being. He didn't see what Aru'Dre disliked about the female, she was perfectly peaceful with him since they met. Her blue-gray eyes glinted mischievously to the sharp end of his tail and she pointed out gleefully, "And look at that wicked tail!"

"Chris, we're not supposed to be enjoying this" she whispered privately in warning and took a deep breath to calm herself. She was not having a good time ever since these aliens popped into the picture and was sure the monumental stress was sucking years off her life. Besides Leitjin and Eshin'Ga, she still felt frightened by the rest and knowing Shadow had no facial expressions unnerved her.

"What are we supposed to do then? Whine like babies? Absolutely not!" she snorted to the idea of appearing weak, something she would never do, and let the smaller woman go. Patting her head like a child, Christina told her excitedly, "This is the first and only time we get to hang with extraterrestrials, don't you want it to be memorable? I'm actually agreeing with Will on this one since it's only a few hours. Sure, I complained at first but I'm getting the hang of it, weird as it sounds. You should try it."

"I'd rather visit the Eiffel Tower" Bianca muttered under her breath and took a glance at the slim but deadly alien sitting down at the side of her rented bed. If Christina gave him passing grade for companionship, she could do the same. . .right? Hesitantly, she stuttered politely, "Ni-nice to meet you."

'_I am sorry to have scared you but I was curious about that unusual object in your hands'_, he said amicably to keep her calm in his presence and pointed a navy hook-like finger at her book. _'I meant no harm.'_

Bianca raised an eyebrow in surprise, glancing at the book on the floor skeptically, and asked unsurely, "The book?"

Was he serious? He hadn't tried to eat her while she slept instead? Hmm, maybe she shouldn't have taken all those scary sci-fi films to heart when it concerned real aliens. Shadow nodded to her question silently and she picked up the book off the floor to hand it to him nervously, tan fingers lightly shaking as she held the text out. His sleek fingers grabbed the book and she let go before he could touch her. Shadow ignored her skittish behavior to study it closely, tracing his skeletal fingers over the hardcover before attempting to open it awkwardly. Bianca looked to her cousin for answers on the serene alien and asked quietly, "How does he _see_?"

"I don't know but I bet it's awesome" Christina smiled confidently with a firm nod. Bianca withheld a sigh to her cousin's enthusiasm towards the alien and wondered if she was the only one in fear of them. Fear was rational but Will had gone off without so much as a goodbye and Marissa said she would return half an hour ago. What was she supposed to do when everyone seemed to be getting chummy with extraterrestrials?

Christina grinned at Shadow and declared proudly to both, "He's going to be my new pal. Together, we'll torture Aru'Dre into insanity."

'_I never agreed to that'_, Shadow butted in swiftly but she cut him off with a shake of her hand.

"You did when you met me" she stated automatically, dismissing his objection completely and Shadow sat down in a slump. Bianca watched her cousin order around the poor alien as she did most people on Earth despite their own say and she couldn't help but give him a sympathetic smile.

"Oh, a book is an object people read" Bianca spoke up, remembering Shadow's whole reason for entering the room and pointed to the book. He wanted to learn so she wouldn't withhold such a thing from him, it wasn't in her personality to snub people or aliens. Gently, she explained, "It's where we mostly learn our written language from and it contains many genres whether fictional or nonfiction. There's thousands of topics to choose from whether educational or leisure."

'_Interesting'_, he murmured softly and looked through the pages with a delicate swipe of his finger, careful not to tear the page. He held no comprehension regarding the languages of humankind, only what his verbal translator allowed his mind to absorb, but knew that Eshin'Ga could help him with it. _'May I study it, Bianca?'_

"Um, sure" she stammered lightly, finding herself in agreement to her cousin's opinion on his manners. He was much nicer than Aru'Dre in conversation and despite his fearsome physique, Shadow's mental voice was quite soothing.

As quickly as the words left her mouth, Shadow left the room with the book in his clutches as Christina chased after him with a chastising bellow, "Hey! You can't leave me! We're a duo now."

Bianca simply shook her head at the yelling, wishing Christina hadn't left her all alone again, and sat back down on the bed to gaze at the silver floor. She _really _wished the door could be locked so nobody else would enter uninvited and give her a heart attack. She didn't feel like socializing much due to the different species factor but she felt a twinge of envy, soon accompanied by guilt, that everyone was having fun inside the ship except her.

_I'm such a chicken_, she thought glumly with the usual case of self-consciousness. _I'm on an alien ship and all I can think of is getting home while everyone's having the time of their life. It's like the jackpot for them! I should be joining them instead of being scared out of my wits in here._

Bianca hated to be the wet blanket of the group and kept trying to overcome many of her fears. This camping week was rolling all of them together and she was sure one more heart stopping encounter would send her straight to a psychiatrist. Fear was crippling but she didn't want it holding her back from enjoying the good things in life that her other family members seemed to be partaking in already. Standing up, she sucked down the fear knotting her stomach, though her hands were twitching nervously to her impulsively uncharacteristic idea, and walked towards the door. The sensor opened the door for her with a swish, causing her to flinch at the sound, and she cautiously stepped out with her sneakers making no noise on the floor. Her heart pounded against her chest as she expected one of the aliens to be waiting outside but saw nothing. Looking around to be completely sure, the hallway remained empty and she sighed in relief.

"I can do this, I mean, it's not like I'm the only one out here" she assured herself half-heartedly to keep her ounce of bravery going. She wringed her hands together and brown eyes kept a wary glance of her surroundings as she decided which path to go.

_Left, I'll go left_, she thought decisively and hoped one of her cousins would await her in that direction.

"Okay, one step down and. . .many to go" Bianca murmured weakly, nervous to the entire plan but determined to see it through. She had to or else she would have to admit to herself that she was a weak little chicken that feared every sound she couldn't find. Slowly, she walked the dim metal hallway to see what would lie ahead.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marissa hummed to a song in her media player while lounging in the common room (she found herself quite comfortable there) and flipped through a society magazine about the current 2016 Summer Olympics coverage and upcoming presidential elections. It was all everyone was talking about nowadays besides the usual celebrity babble. She didn't care for it, mostly skipping to the science section to see what the medicinal field was working on. Now _that _was her kind of news. She needed to relax her mind while she waited to arrive at home. The entire trip was like a luxury first class jetliner where you didn't bump into the person sitting next to you except with aliens as the owners. Hearing footsteps in her vicinity, she looked up to see Kahet entering the room with a tray of food in his hands. The two stared at each uncomfortably, the previous event lingering in both of their minds, until Marissa broke her gaze away and hid her face behind the magazine.

"What are you looking at?" Kahet asked smoothly, deciding to break the silence between them and put an end to it. He needed to eat and he wouldn't let an embarrassing incident with the humans stop him. The aspect of mating was a public subject among his own kind so he wouldn't be hiding who he was to please one human. . .even though those silver eyes of hers were quite an enchanting hue. Kahet didn't have anything against humans, unlike Aru'Dre, and wanted to see if she would shun him like others did or engage in conversation. He looked at the odd paper booklet she held and admitted, "I've never seen anything like that."

Putting the magazine down, Marissa saw him take a seat next to hers on the brown chairs that strangely resembled cozy recliners and followed his curious gaze to the magazine. She smiled at seeing his green eyes trail over the black letters as he read them under his breath inaudibly. What the. . .

"How do you know written English?" she asked astonished, surprised he knew it so perfectly. His vocal chords verbalized them with a raspy bite but the fluent pronunciation was there nonetheless. How advanced was his species? She kept staring at him and Kahet found her face similar to his whenever he asked his father for hunting stories during adolescence. He didn't mind the prying and assumed it was her way to gain his friendship which he rarely found among his own.

"I learned it when I was a child" he answered easily, returning his gaze to the paper and read a few sentences below an illustration depicting human swimmers. He raised a thick brow at the paper and asked curiously, "You compete for prestige worldwide every four years?"

"It's an Earth thing" she chuckled modestly about her world's sports and saw him tear off a piece of raw meat from his plate. She grimaced slightly at the red blood seeping out below the meat, hoping whatever creature it was hadn't suffered, and Kahet teased her by holding out a small piece while he licked away blood off his lipless mouth. It was practically a scene straight out of those scary sci-fi films.

"Hungry?" he asked wittily and she immediately shook her head. Why wasn't she surprised that he was a carnivore? The teeth were a dead giveaway. Marissa wasn't much of a meat fanatic unlike Christina who ravaged it on a daily basis and she couldn't help but smile when he tried to nudge the piece in her direction again. He chuckled softly at her reaction and assured, "It's not bad for oomans. . .I _think_."

"No, I'll play it safe, thanks" she chuckled to his unsure assumption, not wanting to offend him but he merely tilted his head to return to his meal. He was really nice despite their friends intervening and liked his company out of all the aliens there. She could see the kindness in his movements along with Leitjin's and the resemblance between the two. Of course, Kahet was the capable fighter from what she'd observed but whoever raised them did good on those two. It almost made her wonder how his species lived and behaved on a daily basis. She gave him a sincere smile and mumbled, "I'll shut up now so you can eat. I'm sure you're starving after being captured like that."

"I enjoy the company, it's not every day I meet an ooman" he disagreed with a friendly trill and ate another portion of his meat, savoring the taste after going days without eating. He usually ate a day before his hunt to keep a light stomach but after the entire ordeal, he was going to eat tomorrow as well to satiate his appetite. She smiled at his compliment and took off her headphones to listen to him; that trill sound really tickled her hearing. He glanced at the small objects and asked intriguingly, "What are those?"

"We listen to music with them, they're voice activated by modern technology. . .it's probably nothing compared to yours though" she explained easily and showed the red headphones to him as he paused his eating. His green eyes hovered over them with a light purr of curiosity, wondering where they stuck such a device while Marissa wondered a similar question about him. She looked around the sides of his face and asked hesitantly, "Eh. .Where are your _ears_? I've noticed you have none so you can't really use them like we do."

He chuckled deeply to her puzzled expression and ceased his humorous laughs before stating calmly, "They're internal like our nose but very acute. I can still smell the chocolate on your breath from an hour ago and your heart rate is increasing now."

_They're so odd_, she thought with fascination as she blushed at his comments. She was starting to understand that their species was much more open and blatant than hers. _Similar but so different._

"You're sure you don't want to try yautja cuisine?" he invited again with that alien smile of his, motioning to his plate with an index finger. "It's not the best but it does its job. In my culture, we share food off our plates if our family members wish to have a bite. The only person I don't allow is Aru'Dre, I grew tired when he cleared my plate five times and banned him."

She grinned at his genial hospitality and laughed to his joke about his loud companion. It was strange to see how Kahet and Aru'Dre were polar opposites despite being blood relations. Her mind itched to study the psychology between such a family but shook it aside to enjoy her time with him. He was an acquaintance, not a clinical study. The last thing she wanted to act as was her government who took no care to get what they wanted.

Marissa was sure her female cousins would freak at what she was about to do, probably to yell something about germs and sanitation. Her gray eyes wandered over the food to see that most appeared to be lightly seared reddish-brown meat with some odd yellow and round purple vegetables piled neatly to the side. She saw something that was round, spongy, and brown; definitely not trying that! She shrugged and grabbed some whitish yellow string-like vegetables and ate them. Chewing them slowly, they tasted similar to a cooked sweet onion but with a crunchy texture. She was used to eating foreign food when she traveled, mostly from outside stalls in marketplaces, and wouldn't be egocentric and picky about it. Kahet watched her curiously, waiting to see if she would swallow the food or spit it out. He hoped on the former before she decided he was too much trouble than he was worth and left.

After swallowing the food and seeing no sudden allergy effects, Marissa puckered her lips in thought and nodded agreeably, "Not bad."

She grabbed a few more of the same vegetable and he trilled happily that she partook in such a meal that was contrary to what he'd been taught about the human species. He assumed they'd be hypocritical, arrogant, and stubborn in their ways but obviously, their data files needed to be updated. He already had a human mother to prove otherwise, which reminded him to speak with her later before she worried. If his mother held a tiny inch of worry, his father would be on him like stink on a dirty human. He snapped out of his ponderings when she smiled and told him, "I like vegetables."

"No! They're awful" he whined with disgust towards his least desirable food and took a bite from his meat to emphasize his point, "Meat is so much better."

"For you, maybe" she laughed amusingly to his argument and wiped her fingers on a brown cloth next to his plate as he snorted. He was quite the conversationalist and forgot about returning back to the room like she promised as she became engrossed with his company. A delighted smile formed on her lips and she spoke appreciatively, "Thanks for the bite, Kahet."

He dipped his head in return to her respectful manners and cleared his throat gruffly to bring up another topic. To Marissa, it sounded like a choke and she was about to perform a Heimlich maneuver if needed but he raised a hand to settle her back down as he laughed softly to her concern. Humans were so skittish to him and the females always humored him with it. With calming ease, he brought up, "I wanted to apologize for making you feel uncomfortable back in the forest. It was never my intention to cause such. . .calamity to our interaction. I would never disgrace any female which is what I tried to explain but my brother, that sneaky medic, obviously swayed your opinion of me with his words."

"Yeah, for an innocent man, he sure can spin a web" she chuckled bashfully and he blinked curiously to what a 'web' was. Marissa decided to keep her words to basic understanding without metaphors and restated, "I mean, I agree. I shouldn't have overreacted over their immature blabber."

She let out another laugh and admitted amusingly, "I'm the mature one even though Will's older than me so that kind of contradicts that statement." With a subtle blush on her beige cheeks, she added in modestly, "I'm not xenophobic in my view unlike Christina so I don't mean to offend you in any way when I reject such ideas. I'd do the same towards humans I met too so. . ."

"Completely understandable" he replied with a smile and she nodded quietly with relief that she didn't come off as snobbish. She gave him an earnest smile and Kahet decided to spend his time with this particular human rather than the others. He wasn't like Sau'Nak who completely brushed off unimportant conversation or Leitjin who conversed with anyone that lent an ear but rather a person who was comfortable in a small group setting. Relaxing against the chair, his black claws tapped his now empty plate and he asked, "How is Earth like?"

_Is it like my mother described?_, he pondered thoughtfully. _The way her life was before she met my father and joined our people. She always keeps some information out of her tales but she never tells me why._

"Climate, geology, technology, . .?" she asked carefully, offering several categories, motioning with her hand to receive a lifeline from him. Her planet was a huge topic to compact into one conversation and pointed out, "Earth is a very broad subject."

"Average life" he requested easily, nodding to himself at what he wanted to know most, and briefly glanced at the black backpack resting by her feet. He could see different papers, clothes, and objects hidden inside and simply asked, "What do you do as an everyday person on Earth?"

"I go to school and study" she answered with a small shrug and he tilted his head in confusion as his brows furrowed at the admission. The human wasn't even a decade older than him and she was currently in _school_? How long did her species study for? Marissa didn't notice his stunned expression and continued shyly, "I also work to pay off my school debts and afford the basic commodities of life like food, shelter, and clothing."

_School?!_, was Kahet's thinking as he looped the same word over and over. He was already at a profession, going on ten standard years, and this little female was still getting an education to survive? He couldn't see why they needed so much intellect since her species barely reached a century of life while his surpassed hers tremendously. _These oomans love to study, don't they? Mother does the same at home even now! No wonder she boggles father and I._

"You. . .still. . ._study_?" he deadpanned slowly as drawled the last word, making an unpleasant face as the idea sent unfavorable shivers down his spine. She laughed warmly to his baffled expression as he shook his head to confess distastefully, "I hate studying. I hated waking early, sitting for hours on end, and learning topics I would have no use for when I became an adult. I finished my schooling when I turned fourteen. _Happiest_ day of my life. I celebrated by deleting every piece of information off my slate, a digital item we use instead of paper, and burned any papers I did use."

_Though I did accidentally ruin half of Leitjin's, including a monthly project he had been working on_, Kahet remembered embarrassedly when his ten year old brother bawled loudly before his parents with the remaining ashes of his work while Kahet held an innocent grin that his father didn't buy for a second.

"You learn that quickly?" she asked amazed to the fast absorbing knowledge this alien race apparently possessed. No wonder their technology was remarkable by far. She felt tiny and insignificant next to him all of a sudden and it wasn't because of the height difference. Sheepishly, she bit her bottom lip and told him, "People on Earth learn till their 30's or later to master their professions. I still have years to finish mine."

"I will pray for you" Kahet teased lightly, giving her the most sympathetic look he could muster. She slapped his forearm playfully but stiffened a second later with alarm, remembering he was a stranger and her customs could mean something entirely different in his society. He trilled softly to her gaping expression and eased gently, "It's all right, Marissa. I find it is better to speak when one's comfortable and I would smell the hostility if you did try to harm me in any way. We can learn much from each other through conversation."

She nodded meekly as she safeguarded her actions but Kahet released another of those soothing trills she enjoyed hearing and steered the conversation back on topic, "Why do you study for so long? Is it mandatory?"

"No, every nation has their own laws but here, once we're eighteen, we're free to choose" she explained carefully and gave a small smile as she saw that his eyes weren't leaving her face for a second. Apparently, he wasn't kidding when he said he was interested in her world. She liked that. Obviously, he wasn't going to conquer and pillage it but she felt acceptance from such an act. She twiddled her thumbs in her lap and confessed with an unabashed smile, "I like studying. . .there I said it. Most people would cringe- hey, don't do that!"

Marissa laughed loudly as Kahet made the same dismayed face she described and heard him return the same laugh in his own version of trills. It was a shame she couldn't share his company after today. She cleared her throat to stop the giggles and went on to finish her story, "If I wasn't so thirsty for knowledge, I'd have never acknowledged the possible existence of other worldly beings like you. And behold, here you are, talking to me like a normal person I'd meet while walking down the street. It's impossible and arrogant to assume that out of so many galaxies we've discovered so far, none could hold life. There's tons we haven't found either since Sau'Nak told me about two other species that travel by here."

_Which is also creepy in its own way_, she thought disturbingly at the idea of silent intrusive aliens entering her world without anyone knowing. It was like identity theft for her poor planet.

"It's strange how the universe works" he replied in agreement and she met his deep-set emerald gaze. His eyes were so unnaturally human, the others had red and golden eyes but Kahet held a human shade that was almost eerie. She watched him set aside his metal plate on a nearby stool-looking silver table (there was no way for her to describe it without relating it to her own furniture). He sat back in his seat comfortably, crossing his bare feet at the ankles, and asked with a serious tone, "Will you forget what happened?"

"How can I? This is like a dream, people would kill for this" Marissa blurted instantly but bit her bottom lip for her choice of words. She really needed to pick her language use before an alien who'd just fought off obsessive government agents. Her cheeks brightened with a rosy pink of embarrassment and she rephrased nervously, "I mean, nice people who believe in you, not those who captured you. . .I'm not giving off a good impression, am I?"

Her last sentence caught him off guard and Kahet laughed to her shy admission, finding her censorship very amusing. He tilted his head to the right, depicting both curiosity and friendliness, and clasped her shoulder gently with his hand. The fabric of her clothing was rougher than what females on the _Ade'k'ra_ wore and wondered if it itched her. How could she stand such a scratchy fabric? Females were to wear soft and delicate cloths to accentuate their femininity but also show that they were held highly over the male population. He could feel the swell of her clavicle bone under the brown cloth as her shoulder was dwarfed by the size of his green hand. She stiffened lightly to their first physical contact, surprised by the quiet gesture, and noticed his palm was warmer than her own. His species must have a warmer body temperature while she'd assumed he was cold-blooded like the reptiles he resembled from her planet. Hmm, just another tidbit to add to her files.

His green eyes sparkled with mirth and he spoke confidently, "Marissa, if I didn't enjoy your company, I would've hightailed it out of here long ago. I only have one rule: Be yourself."

Marissa eased the constant worry of tiptoeing around the alien man and gave his fingers a light pat with her own to motion she was all right. His flesh was indeed warmer than hers and the skin of his fingers was much smoother than the area around his knuckles. She didn't want to let go, wanting to run her fingertips over his hand plenty more times, but that would turn things awkward again.

Apparently, he used body language also though she found it strange at how clearly and quickly he was deciphering her behavior. She couldn't even catch a blink of his! He released her shoulder with the lightest of touches and took notice of a small square object sticking out of her bag which urged the question, "What is that?"

She looked to her open backpack and answered, "A camera, we take images with it"

Marissa bent down to grab her bag and Kahet stared at how easily she connected her chest to her legs without hesitating, wondering why she was so flexible with such a delicate body. Humans weren't supposed to be conditioned that way unless they were warriors. . .weren't they? At the risk of sounding stupid, he asked carefully, "How. . .why are you so bendable?"

_That didn't sound right at all_, Kahet said in his own mind and hoped he wouldn't scare her off.

Instead, she laughed quietly to his curiosity and indulged his mental itch, "Yoga. It's an exercise that teaches flexibility over time but is also a stress relieving activity. I started during my first years in college to keep me level-headed. We have many sports that include such exercises to increase flexibility and endurance."

_Damn Leitjin and his adulterous jokes, now I really have to scrub my mind about her_, he thought wretchedly and tried hard not to think on what that human could do with a lithe body like that. And what _he_ would do to a body like that.

Marissa was oblivious to his mental conflict and handed him the camera so he could examine it, biting her bottom lip from inside her mouth in hopes that his sharp claws wouldn't scratch her camera. She still hadn't paid it off yet. His eyes observed the small device while her own watched his reptilian hands move, enthralled with each muscle contour accompanied by movement as his bones shifted under the scaly flesh.

"Our technology is more advanced for image scanning" he told her absentmindedly and pressed a small round button at the top to see what it would do. The bright white flash went off and struck his eyes within centimeters, making him yelp to the unexpected surprise as his eyes stung instantly. Marissa grabbed the thrown object in mid-air to save hundreds of spent dollars while Kahet blinked his eyes furiously and hoped he hadn't foolishly blinded himself with a human gadget. The brunette couldn't help but snicker softly at his childish expression: glazed blinking eyes, a gaping mouth, flared twitching mandibles, and furious head shaking to make it go away. His sharp hearing detected the sound and he pointed at her, although a little sideways.

"Warn me next time" he growled defensively and his vocal chords gave off rapid clicks of annoyance. His vision wasn't getting better and he began to rub his eyes furiously, really disliking his mother's vision inheritance at the moment. Complaining, he whined loudly, "All I see is a colorful blob!"

"Your eyesight will come back. . .I hope" she comforted gently and _really _hoped that their camera flashes weren't damaging to alien corneas and lenses. He gave her a small glare despite his blindness making her laugh harder. She didn't want to be rude and quickly apologized between laughs, "I'm sorry, Kahet, but your expression. . ."

"Hey, there's my cousin!" Will's voice spoke up perkily as he entered the open lounge making Marissa smile to his never-ending fun while Kahet looked around the room aimlessly.

"I can't see _anything_, Marissa!" he accused her, trying to hide the growing worry in his voice, and closed his eyes to rest against his seat. That's the last time his curiosity gets the best of him.

_Damn ooman genes_, he thought grimly and felt Marissa pat the top of his hand softly with hers. He was taken aback by the contact but his mother always said humankind was a species that had a knack for touching whether angry, sad, happy, or for no reason. Being half-human, he didn't mind it since his mother had cuddled him like a precious gem since birth. . .even to the present when he returned home and had her latched on despite he towered over her frame. Human civilians could be quite amusing. He allowed her touch as her thumb ran gently over the top of his and he relaxed easily. _Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion? It hasn't even been two minutes. _

"I'm sorry, Kahet" she apologized sympathetically, feeling guilty for laughing at him. That wasn't the best tactic to begin a good friendship. Will grinned slyly at her kind gesture and was about to say something but she silenced him with a piercing glare. This was not the time to screw around or she would go after him with the metal bat again and this time, he couldn't escape while in mid-air transport.

Using her free hand, she reached into her bag and she pulled out a plump snow white robot measuring one and a half feet tall and put it on the floor. She pushed a round button located on top of its round head and its blue visor lit up with two electric blue orbs for eyes snapping to attention from behind. It held no physical mouth but used three little lines resembling the mouthpiece of a cellular phone to communicate. It began to play upbeat instrumental music from within and its pudgy arms moved to the side to dance crookedly. Marissa grinned at the tiny robot and joked deviously to give Will a taste of his own medicine, "I'll give you Will's robot as compensation. How 'bout it?"

"No, not Bill! I paid good money for him. . .well, his parts at least!" her cousin cried out frantically and reach down to snatch his beloved robot back. As much as he admired aliens, he wasn't giving up two years of work over to them. They probably had better AI's anyway! Stroking the robot's plump tummy, he held it to his chest and assured in a whisper, "It's okay, Daddy's here. Oh, you're shaking, it's okay."

"Will, it's not alive!" Marissa exclaimed with a laugh to his care towards the inorganic robot. She should've never introduced him to the Transformers fandom. Kahet finally got use of his sight back and raised a brow ridge when his first image was the male human cuddling the toy like a child. Will simply hugged the toy again before placing it back on the floor with a fond pat on the head. Marissa saw Kahet's awkward stare and explained the strange situation with a defeated sigh, "It's his adopted non-living child. He's been working on it for a while from scratch and turning it into an A.I. robot. Right now, he's using music to decipher speech patterns before going into verbal language itself."

_He's embarrassing me in front of him_, Marissa thought in dismay and hoped Kahet didn't think she and her whole family was bonkers. _He's good with machines but a goofball with people._

"He's a peculiar man" Kahet commented privately to her, looking at the man who gave an order for the robot to dance in rhythm with him. Marissa only groaned embarrassedly to his kooky dancing and blushed lightly when she noticed her hand was still on top of his, giving a nervous chuckle as she clasped her hands into her lap. The yautja didn't notice her fluster and nodded to himself to state respectfully, "But he's honorable."

"Dance with me guys, it helps him evolve" Will told the duo optimistically who gave him a puzzled look altogether. He sighed at their lack for excitement and wondered where Leitjin was at since the yautja medic was curious about everything and anything without a care of what people thought. Clapping his hands, he urged them with a friendly grin, "C'mon, don't be shy. We're grownups, there is nothing we can do now that will embarrass us unlike our teenage years. Remember that retirement party for grandpa and how I accidentally tripped Christina into the five tiered cake? She got like half of the vanilla cake on her while I got a itty bitty piece and an ear yanking from gramps."

Marissa gave Kahet a pleading look and negotiated, "Could we trade families?"

"I think mine would drive you more insane" he trilled jokingly with a smile since she hadn't met his entire family. He was sure his parents were like nobody else's with their brazen personalities. One of many reasons why most females rarely wanted to meet his family when he sought a relationship. His mother would then smack him over the head and tell him to choose a better female and as always, he listened to her.

Speaking of his unconventional family members, he saw Aru'Dre enter the common room to scope out all the loud noise and his golden eyes spotted the ridiculous dancing human and robot. Before Kahet could give out a warning, Aru'Dre walked over and kicked the robot out of his way like a football without stopping as he went to find a place to sit at. Marissa gaped in shock to his actions while Will cried out in horror to his fallen robot, who'd flown halfway across the room, and scrambled over to fetch it.

"No! Bill!" he wailed woefully as he saw it sprawled on its back on the floor and scooped his robot into his arms. The white robot now held a big hairline fracture running down the side of its white round head while it kept gurgling out the dance music with a static flat voice. Hugging it, he yelled indignantly at Aru'Dre, "You monster! You killed Bill! Do you've any idea how much I've paid for it?"

"For that, he shall pay!" Christina's voice shouted out of nowhere and a blue hardcover book was hurled to hit Aru'Dre smack in the middle of his forehead where his crest began. The hunter roared angrily as she entered the room with Shadow behind her, targeting her slim figure as she grinned smugly. She pointed her perfectly french manicured finger at him and declared protectively, "No one and I mean nobody hurts Will or Bill unless it's _me_!"

"Gee, thanks" Will muttered to her distorted sisterly love and tried to squeeze Bill's head to reduce the large gash, hoping none of the chips were broken inside. That would cost hundreds just to buy the pieces alone. The sepia yautja, however, wasn't trilled in the slightest to her newly arrived presence there.

"I'm going to kill you!" Aru'Dre vowed spitefully and stood up, his entire body rigid with fuming tension. Oh, how he wanted to throttle her pale neck with his hands until she turned whatever color humans did when they died of asphyxiation. Kahet kept a close watch on his hotheaded cousin in case he tried something without Bakuub's consent. Aru'Dre had a tendency to get sloppy when angry while Kahet kept himself composed, plus his experience would have the younger hunter pinned down under his foot in no time.

Christina merely grinned coldly and crossed her arms to point out smugly, "You can't kill me, I'm unarmed! Shadow and I had a long interesting chat about your _Hunter_ ways, my hideously ugly friend."

"I'm not ugly, you are, you wicked beast!" he exclaimed childishly at having his good looks insulted by prey of all people and clenched his fists tightly until they dug into his flesh. He turned sharply towards Kahet and demanded with a bark, "Are you sure I can't kill her?!"

"Hunter ways?" Marissa asked confused as she remained clueless to their real profession and reason for exploring Earth. Did Christina know something she didn't? Looking at Kahet, she asked carefully, "You're a hunter or something?"

"Yes, you should ask your cousin since she obviously knows" he murmured regrettably, hoping she wouldn't overreact to that aspect of his life. He wasn't ashamed of being a hunter and would protect his culture just as other species did. Marissa eyed him warily as she stopped glancing at their feuding friends and he wondered if she'd stop talking to him because of it. Humans were frightened easily and he'd begun to enjoy speaking to her but if she ran. . .well, he wouldn't stop her. Every adult was responsible for their choices, after all.

"There's so much we don't know about each other" she stated quietly, more to herself, and would ask her cousin about what she learned later. She didn't want to be drawn into a false sense of security only to be backstabbed. . .but he seemed so nice. She gave him a meek smile and mumbled delicately, "Maybe it's better to stay ignorant while this moment lasts instead of finding out harsh truths?"

Kahet opened his mouth to answer but a new pitter patter of feet nabbed his attention as Bianca stepped into the room from where her chosen path led her. Everyone's eyes turned to her and she turned pink from the sudden spotlight but her brown eyes saw a book on the floor, next to an angry Aru'Dre, and she scolded, "Shadow, you promised to take care of my book!"

'_Christina stole it from me and she's very persuasive'_, he explained shamefully, his banana shaped head dipping embarrassedly to the fact that the human's pats were part of her effective persuasion tactics. He hid behind Christina despite his tall fearsome frame and piped up, _'I apologize.'_

"He's so polite. . .forgive him!" Christina beamed before bluntly ordering Bianca, who gaped at her in surprise for her defense towards the alien instead of her. Wasn't she against fraternizing entirely just a few hours ago?

"She finally found a friend. . .in an alien" Will stated bluntly with his own shock and grinned proudly to the women, "Who'd a thought? And here she was days ago saying aliens didn't exist and we were all crazy for believing in it. Who's ignorant now, eh?!"

"Shut up before I smash what's left of your robot!" his sister snapped crisply to his joke and he held his robot closer in case she tried to catch him by surprise. She could protect him one second and the next, she was planning his imminent demise. Sisters, what could you do with them? He often agreed with her just to get her to back off; he really hated being the only guy out of a family of three sisters sometimes. The blond pointed to his plump robot and grinned to mock dryly, "When I'm done, not even a finger will be left."

"If only I could break her that way" Aru'Dre rumbled irritably to himself and decided to leave. He didn't want to be in a room where humans were the main majority group. If Kahet wanted to get chummy and start chatting up prey, that was his choice but he wouldn't be partaking in it.

Christina saw his retreating back as he headed right, away from all of them, and called him out with a taunt, "That's right. You better run, little girl!"

He halted in his tracks and in a moment's blink was charging towards her in a rampage. She shouted in alarm as he began to chase her instead, cursing at herself that he called her bluff. Quickly, she dashed by her brunette cousin and cursed bitterly, "Damn it, I left my bat! Give me your mace, Mari!"

"No! Then he'll chase me" she objected fearfully and held her backpack closer as she shook her head. There was no way Christina was about to drag her into that mess and slunk into her chair further. Firmly, she pointed out, "I want an alien pal, not an enemy."

"Fine, go hump your watermelon hunter for all I care, I hope he gives you space AIDS" she shot back furiously to both Kahet and Marissa for being left on her own devices. She ran away and a second later, Aru'Dre flew by as Kahet turned away uncomfortably at another insinuating comment. Really, is that what they thought of them?

Marissa wasn't about to be insulted again and called out with a lecturing tone, "This should teach you about letting certain battles go instead of screwing yourself into deep shit!"

Kahet trilled to her choice of words and Will joined in as he tried to patch up his robot with a small repairing kit he carried in his jean pocket. The hunter smiled at Marissa and told her amusingly, "I've never heard you use such language but it is fitting for the situation- Aru'Dre!"

The sepia hunter was about to pull out a handful of hair from the woman but his cousin's sharp reprimand stopped him and he hissed at Kahet as the blond cackled about him being on a leash. He growled loudly, scaring Marissa who latched onto Kahet's arm and hoped she wouldn't have to hide the mangled corpse of her cousin once they returned back home.

Bakuub entered the scene with thundering steps to scope out the racket and glared at each member individually. Bianca and Shadow had huddled near one corner of the room to stay out of trouble so he dismissed them as troublemakers. He'd never buy those two as being anything but docile. His golden eyes did circle in on the two he'd been worried about since the ship took off and both arguing individuals stopped when he crossed his muscled mahogany arms over his broad chest. Aru'Dre stopped to stand at attention next to Christina and she took the chance to punch him in the gut. Needless to say, it hurt her soft skin more than it did him. She massaged her hand with a silent curse and he hissed to take his own shot, pushing her down to the floor with a simple smack of his hand. The blond shouted at being thrown so flimsily by the strong alien and kicked his lower leg with her foot.

"Stop it!" Bakuub ordered tersely as he glared at the two, growing incredibly tired of their childish squabbling. They nodded meekly under his sharp gaze, afraid he would smack both of their heads together to give them some sense. The man exerted authority and they listened instantly to let the anger wash away as if it never happened. He looked to the rest of the inhabitants of the room and waved his finger at all of them to command sharply, "All of you, to your rooms if you can't stay silent within my ship. We have one more hour before we arrive and I don't want to hear a single peep unless you're dying. I suggest you _all_ get along or you'll be jettisoned out of my ship."

"You can't do that!" Christina blurted to his crazy idea but gave an innocent smile when he glared directly at her. Man, these guys looked better with the masks on. Will shook his head from his spot on the floor at her impulsive outbursts and the woman changed her demeanor to a sly sweet tone, "_Can_ you?"

"Don't cross me, female" he rattled without a hint of amusement and left as quickly as he appeared down the hallway. Bianca and Shadow released a breath they'd been holding and she jumped back with surprise that she'd stood there next to an alien without freaking out in a second.

Christina's stubborn personality wouldn't let the argument go and she called out to negotiate, "But Barney-"

"Call me that again and you'll be the _first _thrown out!" he roared fiercely from within the corridors and Bianca could've sworn he made the walls vibrate with his echoes alone. Christina pursed her lips to his threat, her ego never allowing weakness to anybody, but decided to actually learn his name now. He was the boss and bosses earned respect. She did that on a daily basis by scaring her employees and Bakuub did the same with one lift of his finger that would render Aru'Dre into a sniveling pup.

"Males are very territorial in this society" Will informed out of nowhere to his family and fiddled with his bonding glue to fix his robot, settling the robot between his legs to keep a good grip on his creation. Biting his bottom lip, he worked diligently as he vowed dramatically, "Fear not, Bill. I'll make you as good as new and you'll be dancing before you know it. Don't give up on me, buddy."

"Is he broken?" Aru'Dre questioned obnoxiously, opening his arms for an answer from just about anyone. . .even the humans if need be.

"He's almost as crazy as you, except he's not annoying" Kahet trilled to chide his cousin with mischief plainly written in his green eyes and Aru'Dre grabbed Will's robot from his grasp without warning. Will barely let out a yell for his pet when the hunter threw it directly at Kahet. Luckily, the older male caught it with a simple flick of his wrist and gave it back to its distressed owner when he ran up to him.

"Stop torturing my robot!" he warned to everybody and ran off with his toy before it got demolished as an accessory to arguing. Bianca followed Will quickly to keep him company, growing uneasy in their company already, as Christina and Shadow went away in the opposite direction.

"I can't wait to be rid of them" Aru'Dre hissed, shooting a glare at Marissa since she was the last human left, and stomped off to his quarters to lock himself in until the humans left their ship. He hated having his territory invaded by lesser species after working his ass off to stay on top of other full-blooded yautja hunters. He'd earned his right to be onboard a hunting vessels while they'd done nothing to warrant such an honor.

"He doesn't like us at all, does he?" Marissa asked Kahet softly when they were left alone in the room to ponder the aftereffects of the excitement. She didn't expect him to like them instantly, it was impossible to, but she was taught to remain cordial in the presence of strangers. Maybe he was just raised differently?

"He will in time, he's just defensive" he comforted her quiet musings and stood up to stretch his tired limbs. He couldn't wait for the sleeping shift so he could relax in his oh so comfortable bed, his chest practically rumbling to the delightful feel of the sheets tucking him in at every corner. Marissa stared at his tall and practically half-naked frame towering over her and wondered how much he had to exercise to chisel a body like that. Kahet looked down to her and smiled, offering his hand similarly to how his own mother did with him, "Come, I'd like to learn more of Earth and I'm sure my brother would as well."

She smiled in return to his easygoing manner and agreed easily, "Sure, why not? Since Shadow is Chris' alien pal and Leitjin is Will's, will you be mines?"

"Why not?" he agreed casually as she stood up to sling her backpack over her shoulder excitedly while he felt happy on the inside at finding easy camaraderie with her. He'd actually made a human friend!

_Mother would be proud if she saw me now_, Kahet thought smugly, mentally puffing up his ego at the achievement, and led a giddy Marissa down the left corridor to continue their intellectual exchange.

* * *

**A/N**: Tada! Like I promised, a faster update than last time. Of course, there's no way those two species will get along instantly (except for Christina and Shadow) and Bakuub needs to play parent while Kahet's the babysitter. Bianca will still keep the natural fear of aliens as normal people would while Will's more concerned on his robot surviving before Aru'Dre kicks him like a football again. Kahet and Marissa overcame their awkwardness and will continue their friendship as the story progresses. The trip starts wrapping up in the next chapter and will finish there unless the chapter is too long after editing then it'll be chopped into two. Hope you all liked the read and review, please.

Thanks to my reviewers:

_Pinkladykittycat_- Thanks for the review, I appreciate the feedback you leave here and on my DeviantArt page. I'll try to put in the upcoming chapter tidbits like I did on my recent journal so you readers can have a little taste before the main course. I'll be updating my District 9 fic next so keep an eye out.

_8yume_- I know it's hard to get used to the new cast, I was a bit sad that they'd take a secondary role when I first developed the outline (I just love Kantra for some reason) but they'll pop in during the first half of the story like they are now before becoming more prominent once Bakuub and his crew return home. From then on, they'll be regulars since they live together onboard instead of galaxies away as conflicts arise. I can see the twins are already a hit before being born and they'll be mischief makers from day one (the first being one of the rascals humorously grabbing a scalpel by reflex and trying to jab Kantra minutes after birth).

_Wicked Falcon_- Hope this sufficed your expectant glee on the chaos that would occur. We have the peaceful folk, the neutrals, and the explosives. Poor Will tries to keep a happy face and has his robot tortured. The wall fondling just came to me and being the alien nut that he is, he just has to touch it like an impulsive kid in a candy store. Instead of having a fangirl, they get a hyperactive engineer. Ha.


	12. You're A What!

CHAPTER 12:

**You're A What?!**

* * *

Leader Nak'Aru was busy in his office reading the weekly trader reports from their merchant vessels to calculate progress and economical value for each item sold and bought on the international markets. He'd already approved his mate's proposal to plant more fruit trees in the gardens for the sake of satiating pups during the morning cycle and always found himself agreeing to anything she wrote up. After an entire century of sharing his life with Bai'Kar, he knew better than to argue her wise judgment and being the granddaughter of Elder Lar'Ain only increased the validity of her proposals. Those pups better turn out strong since some of the seedlings needed were to be imported from the homeworld itself and other exotic fruits came in from planets involved with their trade routes.

Life was indeed prospering on the Ade'k'ra and his mate's vitality kept growing every year Kantra lived amongst them. That son of his had wrecked chaos in his mate's mental psyche along with adding a blemish to his family when he'd gone rogue but that stubborn man kept proving himself year after year. Thirty standard years had passed since he'd come to him with his choice about ranking as an Arbitrator and Nak'Aru's skepticism told him his second oldest would quit within two years. Two years multiplied into four, four into sixteen, and now the clan ship held another Arbitrator in their ranks. He'd never seen his mate so happy when Kantra had shown her his mark, neatly burned into the right shoulder for all individuals attaining the prestigious rank, and Nak'Aru had to swallow his previous words about his son. He wanted all of his children to reach their limits and then improve on them but Kantra had gone beyond his expectations. . .and he was extremely proud of that child. Paya, he was proud of each of his offspring. His oldest would qualify as a Leader in less than two years, his second was an Arbitrator, his oldest daughter was one of the pilots of the Ade'k'ra (though she itched to be Commander), his twin sons helped to heal the ship's residents and bring about the next generation of hunters, his youngest son was now a trainer of the Unbloods, his next daughter was an accomplished Huntress (despite his say so), and his youngest daughter. . .well, she'd be something good, he was sure of that. Eight honorable children to carry on his lineage. His grandchildren were growing in numbers (11, once Iliana's twins arrived) and not one had a blemish on their records or showed disrespect. Well, Aru'Dre had a tendency to be overly loud but then again, his son Badru was the same- he should've _never _allowed him to tutor his nephew.

"Father, what's planet Veir?" a voice chirped up from a spot on the floor, sprawled over the brown fur covered metal ground on her belly as her claws idly typed into a silver slate.

"An aquatic planet with worthy underwater prey for seasoned warriors" he replied briefly before authorizing the current prices on trading and sent the confirmed message to the Elder.

The other part of Bai'Kar's proposal was that he babysat their nine year old daughter while she left for some 'me time' in the recreational levels of the Ade'k'ra. Nak'Aru reminded himself to compliment any upcoming changes in his mate's dreadlocks or new wardrobe if he wished to sleep in the same bed that night. Vanity was rarely a concern among their species as their culture revolved around stature and producing the strongest pups. During his youth, he remembered how much a certain healer-in-training tried to mimic the recent trends among huntresses and other higher ranked females so she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. Bai'Kar had grown up on the same ship he had but both ran in different circles since his family was dominant and of high stature on that certain clan ship while Bai'Kar's had transferred there as a pup which gave her the mark of a foreigner. Her modest and helpful nature didn't make her a suitable candidate for Huntress status and her parents wanted her to be a healer above all else to carry on tradition. By strange luck, he'd met her when she became acquainted with his friend but ironically, Nak'Aru couldn't stand her inquisitive nature as she automatically tagged along and worse when she became enamored with his pal. The clan ship was adamant that mating remain between social castes and when Bai'Kar was passed over for a worthier female, the healer maintained her dignity and carried on to continue her healing talents. Through interactions relating her skilled hands and his hunting wounds, the two connected over time and his arrogant biases were cast aside. He'd found it humorous that a female whose company he couldn't stand became the center of his attention within short years but his family didn't find it so funny. To this day, he never forgave them for dismissing Bai'Kar as his mate of choice and going out of their way to make sure the two were never officially declared as life mates. Their story was filled with many tribulations but found refuge in the Ade'k'ra when Lar'Ain extended an invitation for the Warrior Hunter to move there and Nak'Aru had accepted graciously for the sake of his mate and newborn suckling. Decades later, he didn't regret a single choice made.

"_Father?"_

"_Yes?" he asked casually as a four year-old Kantra scrambled into his lap with a happy smile. Most mornings, his youngest could be found nestling on his mother's bosom or clinging to her skirt and wondered why he sought him out. Nak'Aru grabbed the pup carefully before he accidentally fell off and hit his head below, admiring that resilience pups had for wandering the unknown. His Kantra was a handful, especially when he tended to climb over the furniture and hide in the strangest spots in their household. Nak'Aru was very sure that his childish mimicking of the Hunt would mold him into a great warrior._

_Kantra's green eyes glittered as he stared at his father in awe, both from his towering height and ever-growing respect, before slurring uncertainly, "What. . .what's an ad-advisar?"_

"_Advisor" the older male corrected simply and his son's head bobbed to the given knowledge. His small mouth repeated the word again until he spelled it perfectly while Nak'Aru watched him with amusement hinting in his golden eyes. Carefully, he lectured, "An advisor, or a Leader, helps keep the clan in order-"_

"_I thought Arbi-arbirates did it?" Kantra asked puzzled, little mandibles slacking and he tilted his head to the right side as he peered up at his father for clarification. His young brain was absorbing as much as it could._

"_Arbitrators deal with bad people onboard and in space, Kantra, while Leaders maintain everything relating to the clan ship itself and follow every order of the Elder- we are his helpers in a way" Nak'Aru explained as simply as he could to an innocent child and his son's green eyes stayed fixated on him. "I will be helping the Elder himself on any matter starting today and from now on."_

"_Can I be one?" he asked curiously and his eyes lit up at the possibility. Maybe then Aru'Kar would stop picking him up by the foot and dangling him in the air like a trophy. He wanted to prove he was a big boy too and his mother wouldn't be there to protect him all his life. . .but he did adore her coddling. Yes, his mother was the bestest._

"_With a lot of hunting experience and wisdom, yes, but for now. . ." his father replied to his childish hope and smiled when his son nodded vigorously to the requirements. Nak'Aru grabbed a small metal plate from the table filled with untouched food and pointed to it to order lightly, "You must eat your morning meal. A hunter must always have constant energy to fuel his stamina."_

"_No, I want to go with you" Kantra pouted with a small hiss of disappointment and crossed his pudgy little arms. He didn't want to eat if it meant tagging along behind his sire. He wanted to walk in his footsteps and show people he could be just like him!_

"_Now, little one-" Nak'Aru began to lecture but two voices broke in loudly over his._

"_Mother, she's going to rip my hair out!" Aru'Kar wailed loudly from inside the halls of their home and Nak'Aru sighed at seeing his oldest of sixteen years running out with his younger sister pulling at his thick black mane (his hair dreading ritual quite a few years away) with all her might while she hung from his back like a huntress herself taking down inferior prey. That daughter of his was quite a spitfire and at seven had the makings of a huntress. With Sali'ah being his only daughter, he wanted to protect her and let her grow into a more prominent member of the clan._

"_He used my clothes as polishing rags!" she barked back with a sharp growl and the two proceeded to wrestle each other on the floor for dominance. Sali'ah grabbed a handful of her brother's thick hair into her hands and screeched angrily, "I'm going to leave you bald, brother!"_

_Nak'Aru was almost ashamed to say his oldest was losing to a female- a seven year old for Paya's sake!- but a small lump of warmth pressing to his chest made him glance down. Kantra had molded himself against his father for security as he watched the daily spats of his siblings before him. Nak'Aru knew his little pup was sometimes the poor civilian caught in their crossfire by scoring a few unwanted scrapes and hoped he wouldn't be as reckless as his siblings as he grew. Kantra was his only child so far that held most of his physical characteristics and never hesitated to tell him a hunting tale before his bedtime. His green fingers traced over the crown of Kantra's head and asked he asked the child, "Do you want to make me proud and be honorable?"_

_Kantra nodded instantly as his little heart elated to the promising task and Nak'Aru whispered to him privately, "Never act like your older siblings."_

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"I'm bored" Mar'i'fa complained despairingly from her spot and buried her face into the floor. She wanted to be with her mother and learn how to make medicine from one little herb alone. Her father's work was not as glamorous as she once thought (and heard about) and exhaled loudly for emphasis.

"Child, get your face out of there, you don't know how many people have walked over it" her father lectured firmly and she whined in dismissal. He had no idea on what to keep her occupied with; males weren't supposed to be caretakers at all! Thinking of a good idea that would please both parties, he suggested calmly, "Why don't you visit your sister?"

"Sali'ah is angry because the suckling doesn't listen to her and Kila's not due for another month" she informed listlessly, hating to be the youngest without a female sibling in a close age range, and turned onto her back when she heard her father's chair creak. She didn't like being scolded for not listening and left that job to her older brother, Badru.

Nak'Aru was about to give another lecture but stopped when his door opened abruptly. He didn't have any appointments for at least an hour and went on the defense, telling his daughter to find a seat which she obliged to instantly. He heard one of the guards order the intruder away but a sharp painful yowl followed soon after and two pairs of feet echoed through the hallway. Nak'Aru expected a dishonorable enemy or disgruntled hunters but his seasoned reputation allowed him to take care of intruders swiftly at the penalty of death. He didn't mind the practice one in a while anyway, it kept him from getting rusty. The sight was most bothersome when he saw a female- a _very _familiar human female, to be precise- with a certain Arbitrator's black dreads gripped tightly in one beige hand.

"Iliana?"

The pregnant mother was about to speak but Kantra, discomfort showing in the right side of his face from the hair yanking, apologized quickly, "I tried to tell her you were busy but she insisted and I greatly apologize about the guard she incapacitated."

"Incapacitated? How?" Nak'Aru asked skeptically as he stared at his daughter-in-law's disheveled look. Her clothes were perfectly fine and no injuries were visible so he assumed the distress came from something else. Either way, he doubted she'd taken down his security all by herself. How could a small being like her defeat a full grown yautja guard? Had she been taught a certain tactic others didn't know?

Kantra cleared his throat, rumbling his chest awkwardly at what had transpired outside before stating bluntly, "She kicked him in the balls before he could walk her out. He won't be getting up anytime soon."

His sister giggled from her spot in the chair and trilled, "That's funny, sister Iliana."

"No, it is not" Nak'Aru scolded his child and she slouched with a huff in her seat. Her father needed to be more jolly like the Elder, he was loads of fun. To Iliana, he lectured in the same manner, "Males are never supposed to be injured there, _never_ there. I highly doubt Nak-De taught you those tactics for combat."

_No, but it's still bulletproof and funny_, she thought impishly and heard her mate growl loudly at her. _I bet he still remembers when he was at the receiving end of one._

Kantra batted Iliana's hand helplessly, aching to be released from her iron grip, and hissed painfully, "Would you let go? At this rate, you'll kill me before our twins are born."

"You're lucky you're not that male outside" his mate shot back but relinquished her hold on him so he could nurse his throbbing scalp like a whimpering pup. Kantra was finding her behavior unwholesome as to how his mate was becoming too much like a yautja female with nonstop rage. Well, he had no one to blame but himself for getting her pregnant with his seed in the first place and hoped the birth of his twins would bring back stability. That was his deepest wish to Paya if nothing else. He didn't want to end up being Sau-Trul and get thrown through a wall multiple times.

Iliana nodded respectfully to the older yautja and voiced the reason for breaking in without authorization. She spoke firmly but the motherly worry laced into her words, "I haven't spoken to my boys since they arrived on Earth. They promised to call and before you tell me that they got lazy like your son here, _nobody_ is picking up their link. I always expect Eshin'Ga or Sau'Nak but the screen offers nothing, not even a connection so I came to ask if maybe a diagnostic test could be in order to make sure nothing's wrong with their ship."

"How long have you attempted and failed to contact them? I haven't received any malfunctions or security breaches from the ship's maintenance reports or I'd have contacted them myself" the Leader questioned objectively and used his right hand to access all of the active hunting schedules on his computer.

"I've been trying for hours and don't tell me it's motherly worry or hormones, I _know _thesethings" she justified confidently about her own premonition logic while Kantra rolled his eyes at her statement. Well, at least her sense of humor remained. Without looking at him, she snapped irately, "Don't you roll your eyes at me, Kantra."

"But. . .how. . .I give up!" Kantra sighed in defeat to the maelstrom that had possessed his dear mate. He was starting to believe she actually _had _extrasensory perception at this point! He decided to be a dutiful mate instead and rubbed her shoulders gently to soothe her bundle of angry nerves. His female needed to be reassured and at peace with whatever the pauk his son was doing down on Earth. Oh, if that little pup of his was living it up carefree while he endured endless torture here, he'd have a word or two in the sparring rooms. . .Leitjin, not so much, he took after his grandmother with that gentle disposition.

He intervened on Iliana's venting and spoke politely as any would to a high ranked individual, "Father, we just want to know if everything is all right. Young Bloods can be a bit hotheaded during hunting and its simply parental concern on our part."

"If I had the parents of every young hunter inside my office, I'd never get any work done. . ." Nak'Aru stated bluntly at the sentimentality of his son and a growl settled in his throat in remembrance that he'd continuously checked the reports during his second year as Leader when Aru'Kar first became a hunter himself. He'd never tell a soul, obviously, but the concern for his offspring was there nonetheless. His face registered no emotion as he typed in his grandson's ship and found no abnormalities onboard. The ship hadn't been hacked into or sustained injury. . .well. . .

Knowing he had four grandsons onboard the vessel caused him to open up the recent maintenance logs and his mandibles tapped together in thought. What had those hotheads done now? Reading the information thoroughly, he explained to them, "Nothing is out of place but the ship itself has sustained a few hits on the bottom hull recently. They have been fixed but. . ."

"Didn't I tell you something was off?" Iliana demanded of her mate matter-of-factly and turned around to jab her finger into his chest repeatedly. He batted the stabbing finger comically as she kept the assault and scolded, "And you told me not to-"

"Silence" Nak'Aru ordered the feuding couple and she stuck her tongue out childishly at Kantra who hissed at her in return. The older man withheld a growl of annoyance to their childish antics and waited for them to stand at attention if they wanted to know his verdict, purposely crossing his arms over the desk to stare at them intently. Kantra was the first to catch the hint, already familiar to his father's impeccable patience but zero tolerance for petty tomfoolery, and placed Iliana before him so they appeared like a happy couple ready for their news. When he deemed them fit as an audience, he explained simply, "I will request a connection be set up within six hours and if nobody answers, I will intervene. Is that a suitable solution?"

"Six?" Iliana mumbled worriedly but nodded since it was the only choice he would give. Oh, how she wanted to drag her sons back by the hair for making her worry but reminded herself that they were grown men capable of their own decisions in life.

Surprisingly, the Leader gave her a freebie and restated, "Five but _only _because you're an expectant mother and I don't want any distress befalling my newest grandchildren."

"Thank you!" Iliana accepted gratefully and turned to Kantra with a beaming smile. He stared in bewilderment to her sudden shift in mood and had the urge to smash his head into a wall. Why was Paya tormenting him so? She patted the spot she'd previously jabbed at and sighed happily, "Isn't he the sweetest? I just love your family, Kantra."

"He's been scaring me my whole life. . .no offense, father" the Arbitrator muttered and gave his sire a polite nod to maintain respect as a glare was shot his way. All righty then, it was time for them to definitely vamoose from there. He wrapped an arm around Iliana's shoulder and told his father politely, "Thank you for the help, father, I- ow!"

Kantra exclaimed painfully when sharp teeth entered his right forearm and his green eyes spotted his sister clamped onto his flesh. The sharp teeth hadn't broken his skin yet but he cursed aloud to get her off somehow. Unlike Kila who used Badru as a chew toy in her youth, his youngest sister had branded him as hers. At every family gathering or visit to his parents, he'd been on constant surveillance to make sure he knew where she was every minute or risk being bitten by her set of chompers. If he wasn't her sibling, he would've scolded her before smacking her aside but he was too respectful to do such a thing. He looked to their father for aid because nobody in the family dared to disobey him and called out frantically, "Tell her to get off!"

"Mar'i'fa, I've told you not to bite your siblings and Kantra, you must learn not to get in the way of her teeth" Nak'Aru lectured them both with an uninterested tone and his son balked in bafflement that _he _was blamed for being the insinuator. Why couldn't his father ever find blame in his sisters? They were all crazy, all the way from Sali'ah with her teasing that a hard meat queen prowled the halls at night looking for tasty little pups out of bed, to Kila who. . .well, she was the only one who never bothered him and actually joked with him, and now Mar'i'fa who used him as a biting sponge.

"Fine, I hope my new pups bite yours" Kantra warned indignantly to maintain his honor and proceeded to walk out the door with Iliana in one arm and his sister biting onto the other.

Nak'Aru continued typing into his computer to bring up his next task of evaluating the reports on the weekly maintenance of the Ade'k'ra itself to keep the ship and every constituent onboard safe. He gave the exiting group a brief glance before murmuring, "That son of mine."

* * *

"What course shall we set then?" Sau'Nak asked simply as his perfectly sharpened onyx claws tapped against the main computer console. He looked to Bakuub with a sideways glance for the needed input as he sat in his chair. While the humans prowled the ship, he would remain in the comfy confines of his control room until they left. He remained very skeptical that they carried non-harmful bacteria despite Leitjin's say so. Medics could always be wrong, their words weren't always foolproof. Then again, Sau'Nak would never admit his paranoia for anything alien.

"There is a warmer location further south of the humans city and would be a good place to hunt in" Bakuub said thoughtfully as he tapped his chin to execute the next designation on their hunting itinerary. They needed a good place where they wouldn't be disrupted and the one he'd been researching seemed suitable for now. Hot temperatures and away from the large cities. "I am not sure on the correct coordinates but I'm sure Kahet can point it out on the map for you."

"Do you think similar oomans will inhabit the area?" he asked cautiously, bringing up the subject of the prey species. He did _not_ want to have a repeated incident and plan a suicide mission again with humans as his lackeys. Paya, he didn't even like tagging alongside Aru'Dre for more than ten minutes in public and would rather choose him over unknown prey.

"I want you and Leitjin to stay here this time, only we will hunt" his leader stated firmly to assure the skeptic pilot and growled softly to himself, "Those oomans took my trophies and I am aching to replace them on my belt."

_I'll hunt double the prey too_, he vowed to himself to keep pushing his rank to the top and keep impressing the ladies back home. As an Elder's son, he was expected to be one of the best or risk being branded as a weakling. He wondered how Kahet and Aru'Dre dealt with it as they had to bring a good load of trophies, sometimes even better, to keep their current rank just because they were half-human.

"Do the oomans onboard know of our ways?" Sau'Nak asked loosely, not wanting to seem picky about Bakuub's choice on speaking to them. A subordinate never questioned their better, after all. Nonetheless, he didn't want anyone knowing about their visit here, friend or foe alike, and was sure Aru'Dre would agree with him. Their species was distant on ever letting another delve into their culture and would rather leave than continue such questions. It was the main reason he growled at the humans for asking him anything back in that small home. . .that and he just didn't trust them. A yautja's trust was never won over easily and Sau'Nak held onto that teaching with a death grip.

"Tolerate them, Sau'Nak" Bakuub told the younger male who raised a brow in suspicion at his deciphering skills. The pilot let a displeased growl form in his throat at the prospect of befriending aliens and Bakuub sighed at his obvious reluctance. Well, he wasn't about to push him towards something he didn't want and simply stated, "They are more than what they seem, at least the male is. Do not insult them, they are adjusting to the revelation of existing extraterrestrial life and still act very open with us. Would you rather have oomans aiding us only for personal and selfish gain?"

"No, but I don't have to like it" the pilot replied bitterly to his valuable point and sighed irately, "What if they are discovered after we leave and are interrogated? They will give out all of our information to save their own hides and-"

"We'll be gone so there will be no harm" Bakuub answered easily with a slight shrug. The pilot's red eyes widened to his dismissive expression but the captain was already a step ahead on the human topic. All they knew was their profession and names, nothing of concrete and high value that would expand their world at the hands of egotistical humans. "We've given them none of our technology nor anything they can use against us. They'd be useless to their government since they are not after selfish gains."

"I hope you are correct then, my friend" he grunted bluntly and began to search for their next hunt destination on his console by bringing up the dimensional holographic map. Bakuub exited the room quietly to fetch Kahet since he was the most knowledgeable about Earth and Sau'Nak mumbled to himself about their temporary guests, "Maybe their government will never find them and they can keep our secret. They better. . .besides, humans thrive in millions in one city alone so the probabilities of being found are scarce. We all would've been better off parting in the woods."

_Their logic is very strange_, he thought with distaste as he began to scan each divided area of land on the western side of the continent. His eyes watched the red scan splitting into tiny squares over the land to thoroughly analyze and snorted lightly, _Driven by emotion while ours is instinct. So very. . .different._

* * *

"You became a medic at 12?" Bianca gasped with surprise at the unbelievable answer and Leitjin nodded politely. She sat with Marissa and Will as she spoke to the two brothers about their daily lives, exchanging their information for theirs to see the comparison between cultures. All five of them had gone to their temporary quarter to speak amongst themselves while Christina ran around with Shadow somewhere within the ship to cause unknown mayhem. It was better to not ask and let them be. Besides, the less they knew, the better.

"I became a healer first to learn the basics and then attained the rank of a medic" he corrected but agreed nonetheless to her astonishment. Leitjin enjoyed their ongoing curiosity since yautja rarely acted that way; pups, yes, but never adults. They reminded him of pups practically with their short statures and bright faces, it was humorous to know both groups weren't that far apart in years. Their chatter reminded him of his tiny patients and wondered how his mother was doing.

Bianca could only frown in disappointment to the fact of their incredible advancements but remained in awe to his admissions. Leitjin saw her crestfallen face (familiar with the expression on his sister whenever one of Aloun'Da's close-minded shop visitors realized she was half-human and left) and tried to make his journey sound less glamorous, "We must go through different ranks as we age, it never is very easy."

"I'm 21 and I have nothing" she sighed morosely, feeling gloomy that others in the universe had so much expertise in the medical field and humans didn't. Was it because of the selfish people in her world? Oh, she just _knew _they'd ruin it for the kindhearted ones of her planet. She slumped her shoulders as she sat on the large bed and Will gave her black sneaker a sympathetic pat as he worked on closing Bill's large gap down the side of his head.

"We begin our professions at an early age to aid our clan and to prove we have what it takes to continue it" Kahet explained carefully to the humans who were still staring at his brother in a stunned stupor. What, were medics more valuable now? Hunters were interesting too! He was sure that fact would not settle nicely with the humans before him but decided to go ahead and clear the air with it. From his chat with Marissa earlier, she was curious to know about his own life but he'd dodged most questions and put emphasis on her daily outings. In a serious tone, he stated carefully as he glanced at each of them, "My people are a race of hunters who hunt down worthy opponents, whether inferior or superior. Most of our population consists of that caste alone while others may choose different paths, like Leitjin has. Either way, he contributes to the clan like everybody onboard our ships and productivity is what keeps us strong. Our advanced technology allows us to travel the universe flawlessly without detection for many centuries."

"You hunt people?! Oh dear-" Bianca blurted in fright and grabbed Marissa's arm in alarm, scooting up close to her and away from the medic's close range. She knew there was something fishy about them and those scary outfits weren't just for comfort. Oh god, what if they were on their hunting schedule out of sheer convenience and they were faking niceness all along?! What if they were chatting them up before they threw them into a shredder? She'd been a stupid dummy for believing it! In a quiet tone, she whispered to her, "I told you they weren't all that gentle and you didn't-"

"We will not harm you" Leitjin assured her but she eyed him with wide wary eyes as she stuck to her spot petrified and let out a tiny squeak. Great, now the humans would fear them again and he knew if the petite one was traumatized, the sharp-tongued female would make them land prematurely. He feared that bold female and was sure she had the tenacity to take on a male of their aggressive species if trained right. Yautja were meant to be feared but he was trying to calm them instead. His father would be ashamed of such actions but it didn't stop him from shooting Kahet a small glare for not helping matters with that admission. He looked to the youngest female and tried to lower the apparent terror shining in her brown eyes, gently explaining with his best 'medicine is good for you' voice, "Yes, my people hunt universally but we are not monsters for it. That is simply the way our society evolved, not all species are the same throughout the universe. I don't hunt though, I heal people onboard our clan ship and anybody who needs aid. I have a sister and she creates clothing for our people, no hunting required, and my mother teaches children until they're ready to choose a profession."

"But you still hunt people" Bianca pointed out nervously as the fact caused her to see them slightly different than before. They were merely aliens to her then but now, they were alien _hunters_! What had she gotten herself into now? She should've asked what their people did before helping- heck, before even coming _onboard_! For all she knew, they enslaved other people as well!

_But Leitjin seems so nice_, she thought, confused to the whole thing and snuck a peek at the medic's friendly face. . .well, as friendly as a yautja face can look. _Is he faking it?_

"We do not kill people mercilessly, little one" Leitjin said gently, trying to assure the nervous female and coax her out of the defensive shell. She was meek compared to the rest, it was almost childlike, but the last thing he wanted was to have her screaming murder throughout the ship. She'd already shrieked enough when they first met and Sau'Nak had been ready to silence her then. Cultural boundaries were always hard to understand, especially an entirely different species, but he would attempt it. Will was completely at ease on the floor, patching up his silent robot and the medic wondered why nothing fazed him. Marissa and Kahet pretty much stared at each other without words so he took it upon himself to calm the scene, "We have regulations set forth to keep honor intact and we make sure not to let a trophy be a complete waste. Our caught prey can be used for food, clothing, weaponry, all sorts of things to benefit our society."

"Like the days of old" Will added with a peppy nod to Bianca, who didn't seem amused by it. Okay, not the best choice of words. He rolled his shoulders back with a shrug and stated easily, "What? Bakuub told me and I'm okay with it." At that, Bianca's face contorted into horror and he sighed exasperatedly to point out, "They're not going to be like humankind, Bi. They have their own set of beliefs and culture, you can't judge it or else you'll be discriminating. And you're too nice for that."

Bianca was about to retort but closed her mouth, curling up to the brunette next to her for comfort.

"Have you hunted any humans so far?" Marissa asked Kahet softly, cautious about the new revelation and kept her guard up in case of anything. Will was far too trusting and Bianca was too squeamish so she'd keep the balance on neutrality. That muscled body of his fit the perfect description of a hunting professional which kept you at the top of your physical peak and what person _wouldn't _think danger when they saw him all armored up? Is that why he kept evading her questions for the past hour? Her eyes wandered over his toned arms that were riddled with forest green stripes and black mottles, and she pondered aloud, "I remember how you fought back there and I doubt you're a pilot like your cousin."

"Yes, I'm a Hunter" he admitted slowly so she could absorb the news and kept his eyes locked on hers to see the change in emotion. Mother always told him human emotions were best deciphered through the eyes. Marissa wanted to look away but he kept his emerald gaze continuous with hers, following each movement with fast reflexes and a shiver went down her neck. She would not want to be hunted by him one day. It was strange how human their eyes could be, especially Kahet's and Leitjin's, now that she saw them well enough at close range to compare such facial structure. His eyes were oddly similar to theirs rather than the deeper set orbs that Bakuub and Sau'Nak held and something picked at her brain to where the similarity lied but her neurons couldn't make the right connection at that moment.

After holding her gaze for a few more seconds, he explained to her, "I am still learning about the different Hunts in the universe as I grow and explore worlds. This is my profession, Marissa, and I will keep doing it until I die of old age or in a Hunt itself to keep my rank amongst my clansmen. We are not heartless people but dominance is vital to succeed but not all of us are like that in our personal lives; everyone holds two identities in public and private. And yes, I have hunted oomans up until now but they were worthy of my collection. . .plus they were hassling innocent humans and it irks me when civilians of any kind are terrorized. This is my first trip here and I aim to gain prestige among my brethren when I return home again."

"How. . .how can you take another life?" she dared the question and wondered just how many humans had been killed on Earth without anyone being aware of it. Did the government take care of it? They obviously knew about alien existence already. Maybe this was what happened to people who mysteriously disappeared? Bianca nodded eagerly at her question and Marissa shook her head to sigh uneasily, "I still get shivers when I think of what I did today."

"We have grown to accept those facts, death is all around us" he stated simply to the adapted exposure that the humans lacked and Leitjin nodded softly in agreement. Bianca fidgeted uneasily to the sensitive topic, holding onto Marissa's arm while Will grinned like a child in preschool during story time as Kahet gave more detailed information about his people, "We live in a universe where death can be natural or sudden and in our culture, we are not kept obscured from it nor is it delicate. We all have a path in this life and we tangle with the danger of losing it everyday. . .well, Leitjin is different but for now, I speak on the majority of my people. Our hunting professions are dangerous and we train rigorously to that for survival. I can die today or tomorrow, even years from now, but I'll tell you one thing," he grinned at the group and smugly declared, "you bet your ass that I'm going to make it an honorable death and be remembered in my clan archives."

"No cursing!" Leitjin scolded sternly, punching his brother's shoulder making Kahet hiss in return. The hunter swore he was starting to sound like their mother and flared his mandibles in irritation. Bianca held on tightly to Marissa, who's arm was starting to become numb to the firm grip but the brunette remained undeterred by Kahet's grumpiness. She found it slightly humorous once she understood the brotherly squabbling that could be mistaken for a hostile argument. The medic jabbed a finger in his face and complained with insult, "Your mouth is turning into Aru'Dre's."

Kahet batted him away carelessly when he tried to cut in a word edgewise but turned his attention to Marissa who glanced at him cautiously but he could see a twinkle of curiosity in her gray eyes. He let a tiny sigh leave his mouth and took her small hand into his, causing her to tense at the new contact but he stroked the top of her hand with his thumb to calm her. He'd seen this done between his between his parents to avoid arguments and decided to try it with her to keep her on his side. Marissa stared at their hands, surprised by the eerily human action, and could feel the warmer body heat his hands emitted and felt the rough reptilian skin against hers. Surprisingly, the palm of his hand was smooth compared to the top portion. This species just kept growing her curiosity. She found herself leaning forwards as he lowered his tone, gently speaking, "You live a very short lifespan and your culture is very different from mine, that will always be. You have your own set of laws and customs, we have ours that have been followed for millennia. We could pick at each other's cultures forever but we do what we must to survive."

"Yeah, it's not like people don't kill other people in society, Mari" Will agreed easily and patted his cousin's back with a friendly smile. He stood up slowly, leaving the focus of tending to his robot, and observed his two relatives. Bianca's face had discomfort written all over it but he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to let her know he was there for support. Also, Marissa's arm was starting to look a little pale and made her release her death grip. He gave them both a knowing look and pointed out with a scoff, "It happens every day in every city and people still hunt things in our world and that's _against_ jurisdiction in several countries. I know it sounds scary and all but we can't judge other people, otherwise pandemonium would strike intergalactic relations over biased views. It's not like they're committing crimes in their society and like they said, they're into honor and all that jazz."

"We kill those who commit crimes or dishonor themselves, actually" Leitjin piped up from behind his brother's obscuring shoulder and the three humans looked to him as he tried to shove Kahet out of the way for a better view. Marissa took her hand away from Kahet's when she saw a sneaky grin creeping onto Will's face, discreetly looking into her lap in avoidance as Kahet tilted his head to her abrupt action. His little brother broke in before he could ask by telling the group proudly, "My father punishes them to keep peace among our clan. He's an Arbitrator, our law abiding figure that deals with penalties and execution for criminals on and off our clanship."

"See? They're cool" Will insisted making his cousins glare to his easygoing trust for anybody nice. He let out a tired groan, running his hand through his shaggy brown hair, and was drawing straws at this point on what to do to make them believe him this time. If he was wrong, then it'd be on him but risks had to be taken all the time and he wasn't one to run away. He jerked his thumb towards the green hunter and told them cheerfully, "Like Kahet said, we can stand here and pick at each other until we're dead corpses or we can relax and be friends."

Both women's eyes widened when he opened his arms and exclaimed brightly, "Now, group hug!"

He pulled both women up on their feet and grabbed them into a hug before they could bolt and Leitjin grabbed all of them into one to join the bonding experience. The two women cried out from being crushed, mostly from Leitjin's inhuman strength, while Kahet decided it was his time to exit and dashed away without being noticed. If his little brother wanted to partake in human behavior, that was up to him but the hunter drew the line on extreme physical contact until he knew somebody far better. Will simply laughed jovially to lighten the mood while the scowling women contemplated on how to get him back. A speck of white entered their line of sight and the brunette woman's mind lit up with a yellow light bulb.

"Kill the robot" Marissa proposed to Bianca with a smirk and she nodded back, wincing when Leitjin's arms tightened around their narrow shoulders. Wow, now they knew what a bear hug really felt like- internal suffocation with fondness for the giver anyway.

"Not Bill!" Will pleaded helplessly and slumped like a rag doll, allowing Leitjin to let him go and he dropped to the floor on his butt. It was quite comical except for the sharp impact that had Marissa wondering if his tailbone cracked. Will, however, simply snatched his robot up into his arms protectively to mutter, "Not my robot friend."

* * *

"Oomans, we're here!" Bakuub called loudly into the main room as he announced his presence. . .only to find it empty. Wasn't it packed just an hour ago? Really, these creatures were running rampant all over the place. His golden eyes blinked in puzzlement as he tried again, "Oomans?"

Looking into both corridors of the hallway, he sighed listlessly to himself, "Where the pauk are they?"

He walked around the entire second floor and searched every room only to find each empty. Nothing. Absolutely no trace of them. Heading to the first floor, he looked into the med bay, expecting to see Leitjin chattering up the humans (the medic made it no secret to enjoying their company), and found nothing again. No one in the males quarters either (he had to make sure Aru'Dre hadn't maimed the loud one and hidden her carcass), not even Leitjin's! He spotted his sister in her small laboratory while studying something under her scanners and prayed to Paya for giving him a sign of life on his vessel.

Bakuub leaned against the doorway to not interrupt her work, knowing that if he ruined the slightest progress in her observations she would beat him into a two week coma. He hated being the little brother sometimes. Either way, he needed a point in the right direction to save time and asked calmly, "Sister, have you seen the oomans? I can't find them."

"You lost four little oomans? My, you're losing your hunter's touch" she teased with a smirk, trills leaving her throat in amusement as she adjusted the magnification on her scanners and he growled to her mockery. Seeing his agitation, Eshin'Ga threw him the freebie and answered simply, "They're in the room you assigned them. Kahet and Leitjin should be with them, I saw the two following them. Shadow and Aru'Dre passed by a few minutes ago with the brash female yelling at your stubborn friend. I have to say, I did not mind it one bit."

"Can you believe she can't pronounce my name?" he blurted in bewilderment and curled his mandibles at the disrespect she showed everyone. He still couldn't comprehend the whole concept of her inability to pronounce it, her cousins did just fine. He assumed she was most likely doing it to spite them and muttered, "Mines is so much easier to say than yours! Better too."

She turned her chair in his direction to shoot him a heated glare and crossed her arms in challenge. Bakuub guessed his time was up, insulting a sibling never failed to cause that, and Eshin'Ga pointed to the hallway before snapping sharply, "If you plan to insult me, I won't help you anymore."

"You're a lousy sister" Bakuub complained to get in the last word of superiority and stomped off angrily. He often questioned himself on why he kept her- no, that was the anger talking. Out of all of his siblings, he only enjoyed her company and nobody else's. He owed her a lot since she stayed with him on the Ade'k'ra per his request when his family moved to another clan ship. Still, that didn't mean he would emotionally gush forever (what kind of hunter would?) and his yell echoed down the hall as he walked, "Go back to your _precious _specimens!"

"At least they're not whiny brothers!" she called back and returned to her study, muttering under her breath about annoying siblings that Paya made the mistake in creating.

Bakuub kept on his search and heard laughter when he approached their room, well, at least he found them now. Standing before the door, he waited for it to swish open and entered with his usual cool stride. His mandibles twitched against his sharp teeth at the strange sight before him. The humans inside were showing the brothers digital entertainment from a small handheld gadget and both watched the colorful presentation curiously like a couple of awed pups. The digital displays were different and incredibly inferior but their people had no use for entertainment such as this in their society. Knowledge was key and he doubted fictional storylines would help anyone; it was a waste of anybody's time.

Leitjin purred at seeing fiery explosions while Kahet trilled at the battle scene, enjoying the defined visual and sound effects, while watching the item Will held in his hands.

"You guys sound like cats" Bianca giggled as she watched them from her perch on the bed alongside Marissa. The shy woman kept her eyes on them instead of the film as they made purrs and clicks continuously, nodding approvingly to each other every few minutes. They didn't look so scary like that. Both males sat cross-legged on the floor with Will as the two women watched from the bed next to them.

"What are you two doing?" Bakuub spoke aloud to grab their attention as he entered the room to see his friends ogling the small device in the human's hands. It was almost enough for him to smack them upside their heads.

"Entertaining" Leitjin answered with a bright smile and noticed the business look on his face. Uh-oh, fun time was over. Warily, he raised a thick brow ridge to ask tentatively, "Is something wrong?"

"We arrived to your destination near the outskirts of your city to avoid detection" he said directly without pause, looking at the humans so they could prepare for their leave. Bianca sighed in relief, releasing the tension in her body as she leaned against the other woman and Marissa simply nodded to the news. Will looked dramatically upset to the abrupt end of his newest adventure and uttered a loud moan of complaint.

"I was having fun" he said with a disheartened sigh and slumped his shoulders as he turned off his media player. No fair, he wanted a few more hours chatting up his new extraterrestrial companions.

Lamely, Will muttered to himself, "It was fun while it lasted."

* * *

**A/N:** This is more of an intermission chapter since their trip ends in the next one and it was supposed to be up a week ago but as luck would have it, my DSL modem died right before 2 in the afternoon. After explaining to customer service that the thing was as dead as a toad under a semi, I finally got it today! The next chapter will be up sooner since the lack of internet almost drove me crazy but if you want a short glimpse of the upcoming chap., I will be posting them on my profile under a deviantart link. Also, I'm starting to think internet addiction is _very _real. Thanks for reading and a reply to my reviewers:

_wicked falcon_- I _totally _feel bad for that poor xeno since he's practically an outcast on all major levels so he has that solitary persona that also seeks sincere companionship except for him, he got a hell-raising woman. Christina will do anything to get what she wants, even attempt to take on Sau'Nak in later chapters with a broken bottle when they're tangled into another mess.

_pinkladykittycat_- It should be surprising that he apologized but Sau'Nak only does it out of duty since Bakuub told him so. Otherwise, he'd give her the cold shoulder like he'd doing to everybody else.

_Me and Gaara 4ever_- Thank you for loving the fic. It's mostly humor filled to give those Predators a break from their testosterone filled hunts. They get a job perspective later but for now, they can unwind in uncensored fanfiction. lol.

_Survivor_11_- Thank you for your kind words. I try to to make in-depth characters that aren't the stereotypical 'I hunt you and cause mayhem in your life' kind of personality because all predators in the films (can't say much on the comics, I haven't read those in a while) come off that way and end up dying to the human character. Don't worry about your grammar, I understood you perfectly. :) And yes, Aru'Dre grinds my nerves too (even though he's my own creation) but that's just what makes him thrive- he's a unique badass.

_carlsminigun_- Yeah, my first fic was pretty much on adventure and a criminal mystery right from the start. It was short by being 30 something chapters (I'm not a fan of short story chapters) but this one is even longer so several plots will take time to develop since it involves more on the yautja lifestyle and other star systems. But thanks for reading an enjoying it!

* * *

Thanks again for reading and please review.


	13. Parting Gift of The Sticky Kind

CHAPTER 13:

**Parting Gifts of the Sticky Kind  


* * *

**

"When can we leave?" Bianca eagerly asked the reddish male who looked out of the doorway again to search for something unknown to them.

"As soon as we find your other relative" he grumbled absentmindedly, hating to waste his time on childish matters like this, and looked at Kahet to order, "Bring them to the entry hatch when they're ready. I'll try to spot the other female."

Bakuub left the quintet and walked away to stalk the corridors for any sign of the other human. He had no time to baby-sit, he had things to do! Important things. Passing his sister's quarters on the way, she called out mockingly, "Good luck finding the other one, slowpoke!"

"Shut up, Eshin'Ga!" he growled aloud like a tantrum child and kept walking as she laughed amusingly to herself.

Will grabbed his two duffel bags and stuffed his white pudgy robot into one for better safekeeping. Oh well, he'd finish fixing Bill back in his apartment. Bianca grabbed her backpack and suitcase to happily stand up, more than eager to leave the company of extraterrestrials for her own kind. She was relieved she would be home soon and could forget this whole traumatizing event ever occurred. Marissa simply strapped on her backpack and slung her duffel bag over one shoulder as she smiled at the alien brothers.

"So this is it?" she asked them in disbelief that it was now over and they nodded slowly. Her fingers wringed over the black straps of her backpack now that their time had ended and she mumbled with light disappointment, "It seemed kinda. . . quick."

"Our ship is very fast" Kahet stated amusingly to the woman's crestfallen expression and found himself surprised that she would want to stay longer than she had to. The only one fidgeting to leave was the smallest female that was practically beaming and he wasn't really surprised since she squeaked every time she was frightened. Amicably, he smiled at them to say, "I hope you all enjoyed your time here."

"No fair, I want to hang out with the yautja!" Will groaned in blatant disappointment and pursed his lips to mutter defiantly, "Forget work, I'd rather stay here."

"We have lives, Will, and so do they" Bianca pointed out firmly to his way of thinking (she thought he crazy to want to stay) and walked towards the door. Her feet were itching to touch solid ground again and held her small carry-on suitcase to her chest. She frowned to his willingness to stay and mumbled, "I want to go home, I miss it."

Looking at the brothers, she added kindly as pink blush crept onto her cheeks, "No offense to seem ungrateful for what you've done for us but I want to return home. I feel so little and insignificant here. . .and that's without the height difference."

"It's understandable, you were never meant to find out about us" Leitjin reminded sheepishly since he was the one to start the whole incident and patted her head. She smiled softly to the gentle gesture as Will laughed behind his hand and she shook his warm hand when the medic took it away. He stared curiously to the strange action, mimicking her with a curious trill, and nodded politely, "Take care, little one."

"I'm never camping again but I'm glad to have met you, Leitjin, rather than someone who would actually want to harm me" she said truthfully towards the kind medic since he was the only one who didn't freeze her nerves. Maybe some aliens weren't out to hurt the human species. Sheepishly, she complimented, "You're nice and you kept my cousins safe. I thank you for that."

"Come, let us head for the entrance" Kahet said aloud to rally the group, walking over to the door to swoosh it open and motioning for the humans to follow with a shake of his head. They nodded to themselves and trailed after the hunter to exit their temporary lodging.

"So, will we be on the ground?" Bianca asked him curiously as she walked next to Marissa, sticking close to her since the hunter led the small group. She didn't want to accidentally bump into him and babble apologies awkwardly; she just wanted to stay nonexistent until they were home. Leitjin and Will trailed at the back of the line as they spoke excitedly to themselves about who knows what.

_I mean, I hear about aliens never coming in contact with cities or for them to nicely drop off human cargo. . .then again, I'm probably buying into all the media hype, _she thought embarrassingly to her belief on alien courtesies.

"Of course, I doubt Sau'Nak would try to launch you from mid-air" he trilled jokingly with a light clatter of his mandibles but it made Bianca nervous again. Kahet almost sighed at her apparent meekness; if Aru'Dre was there, he'd probably kill her on sight with mere words. He gave the woman a firm glance that rivaled his father's whenever he lectured him about something and stated simply, "You will be safe, stop being so nervous."

"It's hard to let go of" she admitted bashfully as her gaze shot shyly to the floor and held her suitcase closer to her chest. It wasn't her fault aliens scared her like it would most normal people, she was being perfectly rational. . .right? Then again, she was timid in any social environment so that didn't help either. Quietly, she mumbled under her breath, "Especially right now."

"This was a very odd adventure but. . .interesting" Marissa spoke up to take the focus away from the blushing Bianca and gazed at Kahet with a smile. Unlike her cousin, she had begun to enjoy his insight to the universal realm and politely said, "Thanks for dropping us off and. . .well, being honest with me about your people. I find honesty very admirable so. . .I won't forget you and the others. . .it would be very hard not to. I enjoyed your company throughout this trip."

"It was an honor to meet you as well, Marissa" Kahet returned with an amicable nod as he enunciated her name carefully, looking back to give her a quick glance. Her smile widened to his words and Will whistled innocently to their conversation while Leitjin modified a chirp to follow making the hunter change his words abruptly, "I hope your lives can be peaceful again."

He shot his brother a small glare and led them down the corridor while they resumed talking amongst themselves. Kahet wished they could have stayed a little longer so he could learn more of their world but all good times came to an end eventually. They really were interesting and friendly, except for the quiet and hasty one. But everyone had their own personalities so he'd keep his mouth shut. He couldn't wait to tell his mother that he spoke to not only one but _four _humans on his first trip to Earth. He knew his father wouldn't be too happy about it but his beloved mother let he and his siblings slide by on anything.

_Aloun'Da will be jealous_, he thought impishly about his sister's reaction when she found out. She looked very human in anatomy but her skin pigmentation and hair was completely ruled by their father's genetics. Nonetheless, Aloun'Da was always the most curious about them.

"I don't want to go" Will complained to his cousins with the lightest frown forming at the end of his lips and they glared at his attempted sad puppy look. He wasn't threatened by 'the look' since this whole experience had been dreamt about for years after timeless playtime of astronauts. He would have loved to work at NASA when he graduated from school but the education was a bit costly for his pocket so he stuck with engineering. Bluntly, he muttered to them, "Maybe you two want to head out but I don't."

Looking up at Kahet, he called over curiously, "You sure I can't stay with you guys like Shadow does?"

"That would be Bakuub's choice and even so, my clan would have to approve later on" he answered lightly with a chuckle, feeling sympathy for the human's inkling of exploring the universe. He had been that way too since childhood until he accomplished his Chiva. The human was easily likable with his conversational personality and Leitjin clicked his throat sadly at his new human friend leaving. Like he, Leitjin had an even harder time making friends onboard the clanship for being a hybrid and having a non-hunter status. "I am sorry, Will."

"It's okay, at least I made alien friends which can't be said for everyone" he sighed with slight disappointment to his words but decided to look to the bright side. He was alive, didn't die from a barrage of bullets, flew in a spaceship, and was heading home to relax it all away. Yeah, that was good enough to be cheerful about. . .not as peppy as Bianca but still. His shoulders rolled with a small shrug and he smiled at Leitjin to joke, "Don't forget your crazy pal, Will."

"You'll be very hard to forget" the medic trilled in return to his easygoing friendliness and clasped the human's shoulder. Indeed, his first memories of Earth would never be forgotten nor would the aid that the male human insisted to his own that they give. He gave a small nod and spoke with gratitude, "Thank you for lending me aid when I was injured and for helping me rescue my group."

"No biggie, it's kinda hard to say no to you" Will said with a smile and Bianca chuckled as well in agreement to his observation. He tapped a finger to his chin as he pinpointed the medic's negotiating trait and motioned to the facial area to grin, "You got those weird eyes that make anyone not say no. They're bright and cheerful- all that stuff that makes women go gaga over a man. I wish I had that."

"Tell me about it" Kahet snorted under his breath in agreement since his younger sibling tended to have more delicate features with his lighter skin tone and Leitjin scoffed in return to the accusation about his physical ability to sway decisions. The hunter stated bluntly with a hint of mirth, "He gives a look that charms anyone and everyone spoils him. I've seen it since the day he was born and I'm _still _seeing it."

"I'm not spoiled" Leitjin retorted since he was nothing but a care giving person and tried to smack his brother's head from behind the human females. The two covered their heads for protection and he gave up in order to not risk an injury, opting to point a finger and rile his brother with the words, "You're just jealous that _I'm_ the handsome one!"

Kahet turned to object that he was the better looking brother by a league but the two women pushed him onwards before he could turn to argue his case. He growled to himself about not getting his say and composed his stance to keep leading them. It didn't take them long to approach the lowest level of the ship as it was bathed in darkness and Will cried out when his foot slammed into a metal object, making him cry out in pain to the sharp impact. Kahet adjusted the light panel quickly before he tripped on something himself and told the humans it was for their benefit. . .the less they knew about his real origins, the better. The group waited idly near the ramp platform for their last member but Will was ready to sit down and nurse his throbbing toes after twenty minutes.

Eventually, Bakuub popped up with frustration seeping from his pores while holding Christina under one arm like a tantrum toddler as she flailed like a wet eel and Aru'Dre was dragged by the back of his mesh in the other hand, kicking and cursing like a prepubescent pup. Shadow and Eshin'Ga simply walked behind them without a word and joined in to see the humans off safely.

"No more fighting, you're acting like pups! Idiotic immature children!" Bakuub growled with firm reprimand and dumped both of them onto the metal floor unceremoniously. The two stood up instantly and glared at each other like boxers ready for opening night but the hunter stood in between to referee them.

"Sis, enough" Will sighed aloud, pointing his thumb towards their group and beckoning her there. She grumbled quietly to herself and dug into her backpack as she listened while he continued on to keep neutral ground, "Thanks for dropping us off, Bakuub. We won't tell anyone about you; if so, we'll end up dead or in the nut farm which we don't want. Don't worry about us and have a fun trip over Earth."

"Where will you go?" Bianca asked curiously, looking at Eshin'Ga since she seemed to be the brightest in the bunch and always spoke calmly to people (with the exception of the male hunters).

"My brother wants to visit a desert-like location not far from here" she answered simply to the meek woman and smirked at her brother to mock, "I doubt he'll find anything worthwhile there but he never listens. He's still angry that the oomans took his trophies when captured so he's throwing a baby tantrum until he gets new ones."

"There's nothing in the desert" Marissa informed the leader who shot his sister a disdainful look before snorting at her, discarding her comment about his mapping skills. Christina laughed triumphantly to herself when she pulled out a soda can she sought from her backpack and held it above her head like a gold nugget. The younger woman ignored her and went on to explain, "I'm serious. People barely live near there and those who mostly visit are like us, trying to explore the outdoors. All you'll get is sand in your. . .uh, loincloths there, and squish a few lizards."

"It's a good climate for hunting" he pointed out bluntly to defend his claim making her laugh at his naivety about the topographical features of the place. His thick brow ridges furrowed to her amused grin and he grunted with question, "What?"

Marissa rolled her shoulders in a shrug and stated simply, "Wherever you go for good climate will have humans going the other way," she pointed her finger at him to say matter-of-factly, "Trust me, if you go out there, you won't find anything except sandy hills. It's called Death Valley for a reason, pal."

"That is our course, no matter what you do to refute it" Bakuub finalized firmly, not wanting to admit he was wrong to a human female of all creatures. It would not be very leader-like of him to agree with prey species. That would only give Aru'Dre ammunition to keep laughing at him and he rather liked seeing his scowling face as he lied on the floor.

"Fine, but I know my planet" she drawled nonchalantly under her breath and adjusted the straps of her backpack. Looking to her cousins, she motioned to the closed hatch and asked quickly, "Can we go?"

"Oh!" Will groaned pitifully to the end of his journey and waved dramatically to Leitjin despite the medic was only a few feet away- two, in fact. His sister rolled her eyes to his immature behavior as he told his alien friend loudly, "Goodbye, fellow explorer! Maybe I'll see you in another life! Have fun, don't forget me!"

"Ignore him" Christina sneered derisively, stomping the heel of her foot over the same spot he'd stubbed his toes as she walked by, shaking her soda can firmly in her hand as his sharp wails did nothing to make her feel remorse. Bianca stared nervously at her and went to Marissa's side instead in case she was planning something- which she most likely was. The blond snapped coldly as her steel eyes glanced at everyone, "We'll be fine, you'll be fine, and we'll never see each other again. A happy and corny tale till the end that pleases the demented Disney crowds."

"You're very direct, aren't you?" Bakuub grunted and raised his upper mandibles in displeasure to her brusque manner of speaking. The other two females held respect in his presence but this one lashed out whether she was cornered or not.

"Yeah, and that's why people fear the almighty Christina" she said cockily as she raised her chin defiantly with a determined look in her fearless blue-gray eyes. "I'm a bitch and I don't care what anyone thinks."

"You're also a pain in the ass" Aru'Dre jabbed sourly, making her eyes narrow at him dangerously. He loved the challenge at irking the dumb creature and decided to goad her further so she'd remember never to trifle with a yautja hunter. Smirking, he trilled mockingly with a dry bite, "Did I hurt your little ooman feelings, you pathetic cretin?"

She simply stopped shaking her soda can as a serene look flashed over her face and seconds later, opened the cola in his direction. The dark soda spilled over him like a broken fountain as the other members of his team backed away to avoid the brown liquid spray that engulfed Aru'Dre's torso as he growled angrily. Once the sugary rain stopped, she drank the rest of the cola that remained with a satisfied smirk as the hunter roared in her direction. What had she done to him?! Furiously, he wiped the stuff off his speckled arms and chest, his sepia fingers sticking together from the sugar and he flared his mandibles into the air as the sugar dust episode flashed in his mind. Why was she getting the upper hand?! And why couldn't he beat her into a pulp?!

"What the _pauk_?! I should murder you right now!" he yelled lividly but Bakuub stopped him from making a dash at her by merely raising his hand. Aru'Dre's body twitched in restrained fury that frightened Bianca as she saw the bulging muscles contracting to the pressure of being unleashed against her relative. His golden eyes pierced Christina's face and he demanded irately with a deep hiss, "What the _pauk _is this sticky stuff?! Why do you keep throwing food at me?!"

"Because you piss me off, crab-face" she replied grimly without a smile of apology but her eyes gleamed evilly for the torment she was causing him. Too bad she couldn't make him believe it was acidic to see if he would scream like a girl or shriek like a lizard- either one would've been good. "Think of that as my farewell gift to you."

"Arggh! And my gift will be a foot up your ass!" he shouted furiously and tried to swipe at her head to knock it clear off her shoulders. He managed to tear off a few golden strands with his claws before the liquid on the floor threw off his balance and aim but it made her cry out in annoyance.

"Open the hatch" Bakuub told Kahet with a careless sigh to their antics as he gave up playing the parenting role and turned to leave. He headed up the small stairway to the first level as he departed from the group, "Farewell, oomans."

"Bye Eshin'Ga, Leitjin, thanks for the help!" Bianca told the friendly duo with a wave of her hand. The two yautja mimicked the gesture strangely as she waited anxiously with eager feet to see her city once again.

Leitjin pulled something out from a pocket inside his beige tunic and quickly walked over to Will while everyone exchanged farewells. He handed him a small square silver object that resembled a miniature remote with one flat button in the center, nothing else. Will raised his eyebrow at it puzzled and looked up at the medic for further explanation.

"It's a beacon, in case you face trouble before we leave Earth and require assistance" he told him privately as the rest waved to the others. Leitjin gave the women his equivalence of a smile when they passed and waited until he was clear to continue, "If you are captured or on the run, push it. We will be here for two more weeks before we leave."

"Gotcha" he nodded in understanding and hid it inside his jean pocket for safekeeping. He was definitely not letting the gadget out of his sight and was glad the alien medic offered aid for he and his family. Skeptically, he brought up with an uneasy shrug, "Sure Sau'Nak won't throw a fit because you gave me this? He's a little iffy on helping aliens."

"I'll tranquilize his beverage" Leitjin joked with a grin at knocking out his older cousin and returned back to his group as he gave the human a polite nod. Polite mannerisms were a must under his parents upbringing and it came as second nature when encountering people. Will uttered a morose sigh between his lips before rejoining his family on the metal platform.

"Aw man, this is worse than seeing Frodo go to the Grey Havens in Lord of the Rings" Will declared dramatically as he grabbed his furious sister away from the hunters to sulk on her shoulder. She simply glared at him in return before batting him away like a bothersome fly.

"Stop referencing everything we do to entertainment" she snapped irritably to his incessant ramblings regarding fiction and shook a fist at Aru'Dre to have her last say in this crackpot adventure, "I hope you get eaten on the next planet!"

"And I hope you get crushed on the street!" he yelled back ferociously as Shadow yanked the angry hunter by the arm to stop any more commotion. The sepia hunter pulled his arm free from the xenomorph and flared his mandibles to hiss defiantly, "Shadow, stop taking her side!"

"Bye Shadow, don't listen to him, he's a jerk! I'm way better company than his sourpuss attitude!" she said in sweet tone that most people rarely heard and waved to the navy alien. Her white teeth shone in an evil smile and she requested slyly, "Throw acid spit in his face for me."

"Why that-" Aru'Dre started angrily as his short fuse broke but Kahet simply shoved him back up the stairs before he tried to get on the ramp with the humans and cause another disaster. He often wondered why the younger hunter didn't try to control his rage; it would help save a lot of conflicts. . .a LOT.

"You may leave once the ramp touches the floor and the hatch opens" he informed them calmly as Aru'Dre stomped up the stairways with an impudent growl and Kahet spared Marissa a quick glance to smile, "Thank you for telling me about your world."

"Thank you for telling me about yours" she returned his sentiments as she felt the vibrations of the ramp touching the ground in its sloped angle and gave her temporary alien ally a grateful smile. There was something strange about his eye color that she couldn't pinpoint but a nudge to the side from Bianca dissipated the thought. Turning around, she saw the familiar sight of her congested city and its tall buildings in the horizon. Yep, they were back home. One member wasn't particularly happy, though.

"Where are we? Griffith Observatory?!" Christina blurted out in surprise to their new surroundings as they were greeted by hillsides and dense foliage. Leave it to the aliens to drop you off in god knows where instead of using a cloaking device. She clenched her fists at the situation and exclaimed shrilly, "We're in the damn mountains again!"

"C'mon" Bianca sighed flatly to her outburst and pulled her down the ramp by the hand like a toddler. Christina instantly grabbed her hand back and raised her chin into the air to march down proudly on her own. Marissa simply shook her head towards the brash woman as she thanked the stars she wasn't that dramatic and proceeded to drag Will by his backpack before he attempted a last desperate move to remain onboard.

"Goodbye, Leitjin! Remember the chocolate!" he called out in dramatic woe with a frantic wave of his hand as the four walked away from the ship to rejoin their people once again.

Leitjin returned the strange human gesture of goodbye until he couldn't see them anymore and his shoulders slumped at having the interesting humans leave. It gave him a pang of homesickness and he made a note to call his mother to check on her condition. He stared towards the outside until the silver hatch closed against the ship again, shutting out the last rays of Earth's sunlight and its blue sky, and sighed depressingly, "I liked them. They were so much easier to get along with than our own people when we were young."

"Come, Leitjin, we must prepare for our next destination" his brother stated formally, not wanting to see a more depressed Leitjin or to admit he was right. Their task was to hunt for prey and nothing else. This particular misadventure was done and over with.

* * *

"I can't believe there's no more flights out to Reno till tomorrow" Christina snapped irritably as she slammed her cell phone against the table. She'd called every air line that flew there and had berated customer service but got squat. Had she lost her touch on scaring people? A world without her ability to barter in was one she didn't want to live in.

"Stop throwing a fit, you'll have a heart attack by the age of 30 if you don't quit" her twin laughed jokingly as he took out his things from the duffle bags. The two siblings had arrived in Will's apartment in North Los Angeles shortly before ten in the morning. The group had managed to hike down the mountains without a problem and walked miles before finding a bus stop while the blond complained of dehydration. Christina had wanted to get on a flight the minute they entered his apartment but found none after an hour of searching online and by phone. Now, she had to stay overnight in her brother's messy apartment until the first flight out tomorrow.

_I can't wait till I'm in Reno_, she thought restlessly and dug her heels into the carpet in annoyed disappointment.

"It's not that bad, I'll take the couch _again_" Will suggested sarcastically to her impatient manner and grinned to say nonchalantly in jester, "I'm just that nice."

"Then you should stop it, last time you were nice, we. . ." she began loudly but cut off her sentence to lower her voice into an accusing hiss, "We ended up meeting E.T. and you got shot. Not to mention your truck is melted shrapnel!"

"I miss them, they were fun" he pouted with a sigh of longing to spend his days among aliens rather than blasting them in games and headed over to his kitchen to look inside his fridge to forage. Not much food as usual but lots of caffeinated beverages and takeout. He wasn't a grocery shopping guy and often grabbed whatever was on sale and up front to make his trips quick. His nose took a whiff to make sure nothing was spoiled and he grinned cheekily to say aloud, "Now that was an adventure for the ages."

"Exactly and I want no repeats for as long as I live" his sister pointed out hastily from her spot on the couch as she sorted through the magazines strewn over his coffee table. There was absolutely nothing good and she muttered tightly, "Bianca will probably have nightmares forever and Marissa will give herself therapy to avoid the same!"

"What we did was dangerous, I know" Will acknowledged, his voice taking a serious tone as Christina rolled her eyes to that obvious statement of the year. His hand picked up a box of baking soda, holding it to his nose for a whiff but threw it into the nearby trashcan the next second for the putrid smell. He continued searching and pointed out proudly, "But we did something good for people who needed us and gained valuable information in return. Maybe now they won't think all humans are bad, that there _are _some out here who are kind and won't try to kill them. We could be making a difference in the long run!"

"I hate it when you get serious" she muttered under breath for his optimism but smiled at her twin. Sure, she may be a pessimistic killjoy in public but he was family so she wouldn't berate him after he was kind enough to let her spend the night. Her brother was that good Samaritan you often heard of on the news but Will had never been on any news reel for all the help he offered. She relaxed against the couch with a tired yawn and mumbled aloud, "You're right. Maybe we made a difference in the universe and they won't try to kill us if we meet again."

The two stayed quiet and Will ended the raid in his fridge when he found two cold cans of cola. Hooray! So karma _was _on his side today for his good deeds. He gave one to his sister as he passed by and opened his while chuckling softly in remembrance to what happened earlier in the morning aboard the ship. The blond raised an eyebrow in question to his private laughter and hoped the aliens hadn't done a brain transfer without her knowing. Then again, this was her brother- he was bound to act a little crazy.

"I can't believe you sprayed that poor guy with _soda_" he guffawed amusingly to what she'd done to the alien hunter without remorse and tried not to choke on his soda. His sister was a piece of work and he always warned people to stay on her good side because the bad was relentless. He wagged a finger in her direction to warn like a parent, "He really could have killed you, you know."

"Whatever, he pulled my hair, I probably have split ends now because of the idiot" she snorted distastefully about the awful alien and traced her fingers through her short hairdo, just knowing he'd wrecked her hairstyle. Damn ET. Listlessly, she muttered to herself, "I need a hair appointment before I head into work."

"Don't remind me of work" her brother sighed despairingly to the idea and went to plop himself down on his brown leather recliner. That thing paid for itself with its plush insides of cloud heaven. He sipped his refreshing drink and grinned lazily, "I want to stay in bed and chill there."

"All you do is tell people where the mechanics go in the structure while you sit comfy in your new office and twirl your little chair around in circles" Christina scoffed sarcastically to his job description and raised her chin to boast smugly, "I, on the other hand, have to deal with clients and finalizing all that legal mumbo jumbo so everything clears and hope my business stays on top."

"I work hard, it's not my fault you like bossing people around like monkeys" Will laughed to his sister's domineering personality and stretched over his couch like a lazy cat getting ready for its naptime. After the crazy day he'd had, he totally needed this break. Christina grabbed a red throw pillow and chucked it at his head for the wisecrack and he cackled to his hit, "It's true, you even bossed around the aliens!"

"Shut up and order something to eat" she ordered flatly with authority as she grabbed her black suitcase to open it up. Her fingers skimmed through the clothing as she searched for her bathroom toiletries because that alien ship had been nothing but a sauna and a shower would fix her right up. Absentmindedly, she told her brother, "I feel like Japanese today."

"All right, I'll order some sake!" he joked cheerfully making her glare for his sudden enthusiasm to get tipsy. Leave it to a person that defied death and sailed the skies on an alien vessel to get piss drunk. Will quickly argued his point across, "Hey, if I'm about to start work again, I'm having a blast before I have to wear a suit!"

"And you want to be professional?" she questioned skeptically, raising an eyebrow to his personality quirks and habits. Sometimes her twin was just plain weird, even by her standards. They had both been taught in the same private schools but he ended up being more carefree and wild than she was. He was the genial and sociable type out of the two and that brought up another thought. Tiredly, she informed him, "Call mom later and tell her we're here before she thinks bears ate us. I'm gonna take another shower, that ship was like a fuckin' sauna."

Will groaned pitifully at having to deal with his mother's 'did you take clean underwear' or 'did you take shots before going out there'. His family tended to be uptight sometimes, he hated it and always tried to rebel against it by constantly being out on his own. That's why he liked Bianca and Marissa, they weren't like that and were usually criticized by his family for their simple lifestyles. That and because they weren't as well off financially as the rest of the family. He felt bad for them sometimes, especially Marissa, who lived on her own since her parents split and her mother died years ago. Bianca was just plain shy but she had an easy loving family unlike his so he had often sneaked off when he was a teenager to hang there instead.

"I don't hear any dialing!" Christina shouted from the bathroom to burst into his thoughts, making him jump up in surprise and he almost spilt his soda over the carpeted blue floor.

"I'm going, I'm going!" he called back to settle his she-beast sister and grumbled about the unfairness of life as he sluggishly dragged himself over to the dinner table to sort through his fast-food menus. He was a laid-back guy so he rarely cooked fresh food, opting mostly for pre-cooked meals, so his table was piled with menus.

_I guess I'm back to my old routine_, he thought with a miserable sigh to his boring life.

In south of Los Angeles, Marissa finished packing her clothes away in the closet and putting the dirty ones in her hamper. She'd arrived at her apartment by bus despite the stares she'd been given when she got on carrying a bunch of hiking gear. Those aliens really hindered their transportation and she couldn't imagine how Will was going to drive to work without a car. Bianca agreed to stay with her after what the two had been through to get it out of their systems and she didn't want to leave the older woman alone. She was just that much of a kind person and Marissa graciously accepted her offer.

"You okay, Bianca?" the brunette woman asked, entering the living room to find her younger cousin sitting down and braiding her long hair nervously as she chewed on her bottom lip absentmindedly.

"I'm just. . .I don't feel as if I'm home" she mumbled quietly as her brown eyes lowered in a downcast glance to the floor. The sound of passing car engines, the wind flowing through the palm trees, the people chattering on television, it all seemed so. . .distant all of a sudden. Softly, she admitted to her, "It seems unreal. I guess I'm still in shock."

"We _are _home and we won't be going anywhere, except school" Marissa cheered up with a smile, grabbing her into a tight hug to assure her everything would be fine. Letting her go, she squeezed her arm gently as Bianca gave a small smile in return and the older woman spoke warmly, "Don't be scared, Bianca. Nothing can scare you here. . .well, except for crazy drivers and gunfire."

"Marissa!" she exclaimed to her afterthought and suppressed a smile to her joke. Unfortunately, Marissa actually _was _pointing out a true fact.

"It's true, it's L.A!" she pointed out with an amusing laugh but was cut off as she yawned into her hands. The whole lack of sleep and breaking into a hidden government facility really took the toll on her mind and she sighed tiredly, "I'm beat after not getting much sleep yesterday. I'm going to sleep like a bear tonight."

"Hope you don't sound like one" Bianca joked lightly with a smile and chuckled. Her cousin simply smacked her arm playfully as the timid woman's mood lightened and relaxed against her comfortable blue couch.

Her apartment was small with single room and a living room/open kitchen but it was all she could afford while working and going to school simultaneously. She didn't have any parents to help her out since she'd cut ties with her father during her freshman year in college and she saved what her mother left in inheritance for her schooling. The only family who looked after her was Bianca's and Will always popped in with stuff to bring her so it wouldn't look like charity. She wasn't stubborn or prideful like Christina and gladly accepted things, knowing when she needed help. She grabbed her remote and turned on her television to flip through the channels. Bianca cuddled up to one of the side arms like a puppy and toyed with her braid.

"I miss the outdoors now" Marissa remarked aloud, in which Bianca turned to look at her in shock. She chuckled at the horror stricken glance but quickly corrected herself to ease, "The _normal _outdoors before everything happened. You know, the hikes, the mountains, the cookouts. . ."

Bianca nodded softly in agreement as she listed off others but objected with a yelp when her cousin added in, "And the ship. I liked talking to the brothers, they were really friendly."

"Mari!" she whined in complaint to her view on the aliens since she remained frightened on their real professions. She almost would've given for scientists with their probing rather than intergalactic hunters! Her eyes shifted around the room suspiciously before she whispered softly, "They _hunt _people, that's frightening."

"It's their culture, people here hunted animals all the time too and some homo species were known to be cannibals so that's even worse" Marissa stated knowingly and began to brush her brown hair with the discarded round bristled brush on the couch. Bianca remained adamant on her stand but the brunette tried to get her to understand her viewpoint, "Despite it's a little unnerving, Kahet and Leitjin were kind to me the whole time and I won't criticize them for it. Leitjin was sweet despite his frightful features but you can't help how your species is and maybe we scare them just the same. Kahet was. . ." she struggled to find the right words for him and modestly smiled, "he was quite eloquent."

'_If you don't tell me where my weapons are, I will rip out your intestines and make them into a sweater!' Kahet roared furiously at a federal agent who seemed ready to pee his pants rather than shoot off his weapon correctly. Marissa could only watch in awe as he tried his customized diplomatic tactics before resorting to violence._

"Sure, Leitjin was but. . .weren't you scared his brother could've hurt you?" she asked hesitantly, furrowing her brows to her calmness on the topic. All the other males scared her to death, especially the hotheaded one that Christina kept pissing off.

"He never did and he protected me, the only scary ones are Aru'Dre and Sau'Nak" her cousin admitted with a kind smile in remembrance to Kahet's friendliness despite their rocky start and shrugged halfheartedly in regards to the others. "They just didn't like us, I guess. Aru'Dre was just all over the place constantly nagging about us and I thought Sau'Nak would turn out nicer. . .but I was wrong."

"They were jerks!" Bianca pointed out bluntly and Marissa raised an eyebrow at her sudden brashness. She guessed even the meekest person had a breaking point where it concerned stubborn men. Bianca gaped to her own outburst and fiddled with her braid again to state in her usual soft tone, "Well, they _were_."

"We'll never see them again, Bi, so relax" she comforted softly and patted her arm to assure her that everything was indeed over. No more gunfire, no more aliens, no more camping. With an encouraging smile, she piped up, "There's nothing to fear now."

"I hope so" Bianca mumbled under her breath and blushed when her stomach let out a gurgle of hunger. Marissa laughed to the loud sound and the younger woman stood up a second later to hastily inform, "I'm getting some ice cream. All that heat got to me."

"Me too" Marissa chuckled amusingly and watched her head off into the adjoined kitchen that was practically ten feet away. She was glad to be back home but she had to secretly admit that she wouldn't have minded spending more time aboard the alien vessel to get to know them better. Bending her legs into a fetal position, she stared at the wooden floor to mumble to herself, "Everything will be fine now. Still. . .I'll kind of miss them."

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry for the long wait but I started on another fic but life has been taking up most of my time. This whole thing on changing majors from psych to nursing and FAFSA's annoying data that I can't get financial aid because I have my degree; hello, that's the whole point of double majoring. It's been a huge hassle and I'm barely hitting the tip of the iceberg. Anywho, to not bore you with matters, I hope this chapter brought on as much humor as the last as the gang says their goodbyes while Christina and Aru'Dre go at it like cats and dogs (I love writing their interactions the most). Don't worry though, they'll meet up again anyway because the government always has a tendency of tracking you down. Next chapter has Iliana scolding her kids, Aru'Dre's complaints on the desert, and kidnappings.

Thanks to my last reviewers, I appreciate your feedback:

_Carlsminigun_- Hope this chapter made you laugh yet again.

_Me and Gaara 4ever_- Laughter always betters a crappy day.

_Pinkladykittycat_- Sorry for the wait on this chapter but man, the Avatar fic is soaring above all the others (with the except of District 9's) with only three chapters so far so thanks for the vote of confidence! :)

_Princess of all Vampires_- Thanks for the review.


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